Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge

What is a National Wildlife Refuge?
Managing Bosque's Annual Cycle of Wildlife

In the arid mesas of south-central New Mexico, along nine miles of the Rio Grande, the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge provides a rich habitat for migrating birds.

Located 20 miles south of Socorro, New Mexico, the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) covers 57,191 acres, including 13,000 acres of extensive wetlands. Created in 1939 to provide refuge and breeding grounds for migratory birds and other wildlife, Bosque del Apache NWR was especially important to the Greater Sandhill Cranes, which were then endangered.

Bosque del Apache, meaning "woods of the Apache" in Spanish, was inhabited 700 years ago by the Piro Indians, a Pueblo people who farmed the rich bottom lands and lived in houses made of mud and stone. The effects of human activity began to increase in the 1800s, and have since included the direct removal of native floodplain forests, hunting of native animals, domestic grazing and pollution of local water systems. In addition, manipulation of river flows by dams and irrigation canals, plus the confinement of the river to a straightened channel, caused the disappearance of oxbow lakes and marshes along the river. As the wetlands decreased, the plant and animal life began to change. For example, salt cedar or tamarisk, originally introduced as an ornamental for erosion control, has taken over vast areas, beating out the native cottonwoods along the water's edge.

Managing Bosque's Annual Cycle of Wildlife

With the creation of the Bosque del Apache NWR, steps were taken to recreate or imitate the original environment. Water, the key to maintaining the wetland habitat of Bosque, is transferred by gravity-fed canals used to drain or flood marshes and irrigate fields. By controlling the water level of Bosque's marshes, refuge managers create the conditions able to support a whole host of plants and animals that make up the region's dynamic ecosystem. During a seven-year cycle, the varying conditions of these managed units provide nesting for songbirds and shelter for a multitude of wildlife.

While life at Bosque del Apache is evident year round, certain cycles can be distinguished easily. In September, water reservoirs are flooded in anticipation of the late fall arrival of more than 50,000 ducks, 50,000 Snow Geese, 18,000 Sandhill Cranes and numerous wading birds. Geese and cranes will roost in these areas at night after a day of feeding in other areas of the refuge.

Near the end of November, the Sandhill Cranes, as well as geese, ducks and other waterfowl, arrive at Bosque. Through mid-February, the refuge becomes a magnificent sanctuary for birds. By March, the cacophony of geese and cranes is gone, but the refuge is far from quiet. As the winter birds head north to their nesting grounds, neotropical migrants from Central America begin to move through, stopping to feed and rest before continuing northward to their own nesting areas. Throughout the spring and summer, the 325 species of birds, 75 species of mammals, 60 species of reptiles and amphibians and 35 species of fish that call Bosque home year-round continue to enhance the region with their delightful sounds and activity.