Project Description
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has cooperated with other agencies such as the Bureau of Land Management and the Bureau of Reclamation in the planting of native cottonwood and willow poles on Havasu National Wildlife Refuge on the lower Colorado River. The Refuge has a nursery of cottonwood and willow trees which are harvested to provide poles for revegetation projects on Refuge property. In 1996, the Refuge approached Diamondback Elementary School (DES) in Bullhead City, Arizona with a proposal to grow honey mesquite trees. The Refuge began The Little Greenhouse Project by funding a 7’x12′ greenhouse and provided seeds, soil, and pots. Two fifth grade classes from DES raise the trees and conduct experiments on them throughout the year. Topock Elementary School (TES) located in Topock, Arizona has repeatedly expressed interest in participating in this program. With funding from the Sonoran Joint Venture, the Refuge will establish a greenhouse at TES. The expansion of The Little Greenhouse Project to TES would double the number of trees planted on the Refuge every year and help cultivate an educational relationship between TES, the community of Topock, and the Refuge.