Yuma West Wetlands Park & Restoration
Yuma, TX
Services Provided
Master Planning, Ecological Analysis, Park and Trail Design, Landscape Architecture, Green Infrastructure/Low impact Development, Project Management
Collaborators
Michael Meihaus, City of Yuma, Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area, federal and state funding agencies, Fred Phillips Consulting
Improvements to a 3-mile trail system along a downtown stretch of the Colorado river to restore, preserve and celebrate Yuma’s history.
The Yuma West Wetlands Park & Restoration project transformed a three-mile stretch of the Colorado River through downtown Yuma into an extensive park and trail system focused on ecological restoration, recreation, celebration of Yuma’s history. Over two decades, the City of Yuma and Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area worked to restore, preserve, maintain, and promote this important trail corridor.
From 2015–2018, Michael Meihaus, Principal at Lionheart, served as Project Manager for Fred Phillips Consulting working with the City of Yuma to design and construct new parking areas, trailheads, a riverfront beach, and ADA-accessible connections along the Colorado River. The project also involved securing and implementing state and federal grant funding for improvements throughout the Yuma West Wetlands Park and Trail System.
Today, the larger project area encompasses more than 550 acres of parks and restored riparian landscape, with miles of hiking and biking trails, outdoor education amenities, ADA-accessible recreation areas, restored riparian forests and wetlands, and improved connections to the Colorado River. The project demonstrates how ecological restoration and public recreation can come together to create a resilient riverfront park system.
