Save the Mesquite Bosque Conservation Area at the City Centre Development Site

Location: Riverview Drive & Lakeside Drive, Bullhead City, Arizona

This is a call to the public to support a petition to conserve the Mesquite Bosque, its natural drainway, and the native flora and fauna that depend upon it.

This mesquite bosque is the last known example of its kind this far within the Bullhead City limits. Once it is destroyed, there is nothing that can be done to bring this unique ecosystem back.

A mesquite bosque is a closed-canopy woodland ecosystem dominated by mesquite trees. It is an indicator of naturally occurring moisture and, in the case of this site, exists directly on a natural floodplain where seasonal water drains and recharges the landscape.

Historically common throughout the low elevations of the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, mesquite bosques have become increasingly rare. Due to widespread land clearing for development, groundwater depletion, and altered hydrology, these woodlands are now highly threatened and are frequently the focus of conservation and restoration efforts.

Although a few examples still exist outside the city, this site represents one of the last remaining patches of intact old-growth Mojave Desert mesquite habitat within the Bullhead City limits.

Mesquite bosques support an incredible diversity of wildlife and provide some of the highest breeding bird densities in the region. Arizona's primary nesting season generally extends from February through the end of August, while many resident bird species remain within these habitats year-round.

Documented Native Flora:

Neltuma odorata — Western Honey Mesquite

Palafoxia arida — Spanish Needle

Ambrosia dumosa — Burro Bush

Asclepias subulata — Desert Milkweed

Larrea tridentata — Creosote Bush

Senegalia greggii — Catclaw Acacia

Atriplex polycarpa — Cattle Saltbush

Encelia virginensis — Virgin River Brittlebush

Tidestromia suffruticosa — Shrubby Honeysweet

Krameria bicolor — White Ratany

Documented Native Fauna:

Canis latrans — Coyote

Chordeiles acutipennis — Lesser Nighthawk

Geococcyx californianus — Greater Roadrunner

Callipepla gambelii — Gambel's Quail

Zenaida asiatica — White-winged Dove

Zenaida macroura — Mourning Dove

Streptopelia decaocto — Eurasian Collared-Dove

Columbina passerina — Common Ground-Dove

Sceloporus magister — Desert Spiny Lizard

Dipsosaurus dorsalis — Desert Iguana

Callisaurus draconoides — Zebra-tailed Lizard

Uta stansburiana — Common Side-blotched Lizard

It is not my intention to halt development, but rather to encourage the incorporation of the existing mesquite bosque and its natural drainway into the final landscape design.

I would love to see this area preserved as a wildlife refuge, conservation area, or nature trail that future generations can enjoy. If the site is developed without preserving the bosque, the existing habitat will be completely cleared and replaced with irrigated, non-native landscaping, significantly reducing the habitat and natural resources that native birds, pollinators, reptiles, mammals, and countless other species currently rely upon.

This is a rare opportunity to conserve what remains of Bullhead City's natural heritage, so that future generations do not have to travel miles to protected wilderness areas, National Monuments, or National Parks just to experience the native ecosystems that once existed in their own backyards.

Please support this petition and help protect one of Bullhead City's last remaining mesquite bosques before it is lost forever.