It's not the holidays in Lake Havasu City without some decorated cactuses, an afternoon boat ride and ... Christmas tree recycling.

News-Herald Photo/Brian Wedemeyer Volunteers with the Lake Havasu Fisheries Improvement Program take off Friday for a cove near Friendly Island to install recycled Christmas trees.

For the 13th consecutive year, volunteers anchored dozens of used trees to the bottom of the lake to serve as fish habitat. It was one of the first-ever projects for the Lake Havasu Fisheries Improvement Program, and it has become a long-standing tradition.

Kirk Koch, program manager, estimates that more than 3,000 trees have been installed in the lake over the years.

The trees serve as shelter for young fish trying to survive in a lake filled with larger predators. Program officials also have installed artificial habitat in numerous locations throughout the lake.

“Without the habitat, the lake becomes a flat-bottomed mud hole,” Koch said. “There were would be no place for the smaller fish to hide.”

Local citizens disposed of their used trees in recycling Dumpsters donated by River City Waste Services. In addition, some local businesses donated trees that weren't sold before Dec. 25.

Using cinder blocks or sandbags, volunteers anchor the trees in deep enough locations to not interfere with boaters.

Insects and other small critters feed off the bacteria from the tree, creating another food source for the smaller fish. After seven or eight years under water, only the branches remain.

“And the food chain sort of continues on from there,” Koch said. “A person could eat a fish he caught from the lake and also get a small piece of his Christmas tree from 1995.”

Started in the early 1990s, the Lake Havasu Fisheries Improvement Program has been described as the largest warm-water project ever in the country. It involves seven major partners, including the Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Arizona Game and Fish Department, California Department of Fish and Game, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and Anglers United.

The partnership's three main objectives are to increase the native fish population, enhance habitat and improve recreational fishing opportunities.

In 2002, the partnership surpassed its program goal by installing 875 acres of habitat in 42 separate coves.

Christmas trees will continue to be accepted until Saturday at a Dumpster on the south side of Park Avenue, adjacent to the Aquatic Center, 100 Park Ave. Trees should not have tinsel or flocking. Call 716-0054 for details.