Decades-Long Partnership Restores Habitat Across 124 Lake Havasu Coves

Since 1992, the Lake Havasu Fisheries Improvement Program has united the Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Arizona Game and Fish, Arizona State Parks and Trails, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Anglers United, the Lake Havasu Divers Association and the Lake Havasu Marine Association to restore the reservoir’s depleted fish habitat. Under the guidance of BLM fisheries biologist Rachel Wirick, the partnership installed roughly 90 acres of artificial structures—PVC pipes, snow fencing and concrete reef balls—across 124 coves, enhancing about 875 acres of shoreline.

Local landscapers donate palm fronds and branches that are bundled, strapped and sunk to create brush habitats, with up to 800 bundles placed each year. Volunteer crews, many of whom are retired anglers, build, load and maintain these installations. Since a 2005 management plan update, the effort has added public fishing amenities, monitoring of endangered fish and continued assessment of reef productivity, supporting both the lake’s sport-fishing reputation and the surrounding economy.