On July 28, 2006, a Texmo Oil Company Jobbers tanker truck crashed on the State Highway 95 bridge over the Bill Williams River, where the river joins Lake Havasu, 20 miles north of Parker, Ariz. 7,600-7,800 gallons of diesel spilled and then ignited, burning 348 acres of marsh, riparian and upland desert vegetation.

The Texmo spill and fire injured some of the rarest habitats left on the lower Colorado River basin, including the lower river’s most intact community of riparian-dependent species. The affected habitat supports two endangered birds – the southwestern willow flycatcher and Yuma clapper rail, two endangered fishes – the razorback sucker and bonytail, and the candidate yellow-billed cuckoo. Over 300 species of migratory or nesting bird species are known to use the area.