Quartzsite Visitor's Guide

48 QuartzsiteVisitorGuide.com Dripping springs is one mile down the road from Dos Picachos Mine. The road is steep and rutted. This is a trip for a 4-wheeled drive vehicle. CIBOLA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE Cibola National Wildlife Refuge is lo- cated in the flood plain of the lower Colorado River and surrounded by a fringe of desert ridges and washes. The refuge encompasses both the historic Colorado River channel as well as a channelized portion constructed in the late 1960's. Along with these main wa- ter bodies, several important backwa- ters are home to many wildlife species that reside in this portion of the So- noran Desert. Because of the river's life sustaining water, wildlife here survives in an environment that reaches 120 degrees in the summer and receives an average of only 2 inches of rain per year. We invite you to visit and enjoy the many wildlife-oriented activities the refuge has to offer and enjoy the sce- nic beauty of this oasis in the desert. Getting There from Blythe, CA: Drive approximately 3 miles west on I-10 to Neighbors Boulevard/78 exit. Travel south on Neighbors for 12 miles to the Cibola Bridge. After crossing the bridge, con- tinue south for 3.5 miles to headquarters. AHAKHAV PRESERVE The 'Ahakhav Tribal Preserve was estab- lished in 1995 and currently consists of 1,253 acres of wilderness area and a 3.5 acre park. The preserve is centered around a reconstructed Colorado River backwater, which offers a variety of activities including fishing, canoeing, birding, and swimming. The preserve also maintains a 4.6 mile fit- ness trail as well as playground and picnic facilities located in the park. The preserve serves many purposes. Continued from Page 47 One is to provide recreational and learning opportunities to the surround- ing community as well as visitors. The other is to serve as a revegetation area for endangered and threatened plants and animals native to the Lower Colo- rado River Basin. The Lower Colorado is an area that faces many problems, from damming that causes changes in natu- ral stream flow, to a variety of invasive species. The preserve is an ongoing project to study methods of revegeta- tion and restoration that may be used though out the area. For more informa- tion, please visit www.crit-nsn.gov POSTON MONUMENT This Memorial Monument marks the site of the Poston War Relocation Cen- ter where 17,867 persons of Japanese ancestry, the majority of whom were United States citizens were interned during World War II from May 1942 to November 1945. All persons of Japanese descent living on west coast farms, businesses, towns, cities, and states were forcibly evacuated by the United States military on the grounds that they posed a threat to (he na- tional security. This massive relocation was authorized by Executive Order 9066, signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on February 19, 1942. This Memorial is dedicated to all those men, women and children who suffered count- less hardships and indignities at the hands of a nation misguided by wartime hysteria, racial prejudice and fear. May it serve as a constant reminder of our past so that Americans in the future will never again be denied their Constitu- tional rights and may the remembrance of that experience serve to advance the evolution of the human spirit. Continued on Page 49

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