button with link to home page
button with link to regulations
button with link to public use
button with link to the little greenhouse project
button with link to wildlife and habitat management
button with link to mohave valley interagency fire station
button with link to species lists
button with link to frequently asked questions
button with link to refuge brochures
Contact Us | Site Map | Southwest Region 2 Refuges | National Wildlife Refuge System | USFWS National Site
Diamondback Elementary School students plant their mesquite seeds for their new greenhouse

The Little Greenhouse Project

Since 1996, students at Diamondback Elementary School in Bullhead City, Arizona have been raising honey mesquite trees in an on-site greenhouse. In early August, seed pods are gathered from the refuge. When the students return to school in mid-August, they remove the seeds from the pods, scarify them, and plant them in one-gallon pots. The students spend the next seven months caring for and charting the growth and health of their trees. Each year the students perform experiments on the trees. In past years, they have looked at the effects that soil type, pot size and color, temperature, fertilizer amount, and brand of fertilizer have had on the trees. In the 2003-2004 school year, the students will look at the effect of three different brands of fertilizers with differing Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and Potassium (NPK) values. At the end of the school year, the students plant their trees on the refuge. Their trees provide food and habitat for wildlife for years after the caretakers have left. The project allows students to apply basic science and math skills and to learn about exotic and native species and concepts such as revegetation and biodiversity. The project gives each student a sense of achievement for having helped wildlife and a sense of ownership of the refuge.

The Little Greenhouse Project at Diamondback has received several awards. Some of these include: the Golden Bell Award in 1998 given by the Arizona School Board Association and the School to Work Award in 2000 given by the Arizona Commission for Post-Secondary Education.

In 2003, the refuge received two grants, one from the Arizona Bird Conservation Initiative and the second from the Sonoran Joint Venture. The money from the first grant enabled Diamondback Elementary to purchase a second 7' by 12' greenhouse. The program has grown rapidly since its creation in 1996 and the second greenhouse will provide much needed space. The money from the second grant enabled the refuge to expand the Little Greenhouse Project to Topock Elementary in Topock, Arizona. A 12' by 14' greenhouse was constructed in early October 2003. Over 250 students--ranging in grades from K-8--will be involved in the greenhouse. Teachers plan to use the greenhouse to supplement their math, reading, and writing classes.