The official nickname of New Mexico is the “Land of Enchantment,” and once you’ve visited the state and taken in its stunning natural scenery, there’s no question as to why. You can even find nature in and near Albuquerque, the largest city in the state with more than half a million people. The city sprung up in the Rio Grande Valley, and the river and the bosque, the name for the forest that grows along the Rio Grande, have long provided an important habitat for all kinds of wildlife. But as the city grew bigger, some of the cottonwoods, willow trees, and other native plants suffered with urban and agricultural development, and the river was tamed to prevent it from flooding the city. However, in some places along the Rio Grande, the landscape is being renewed and opened to the community to explore via trail systems. One such place is Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge.
In the South Valley about a 15-minute drive from the city’s airport, Albuquerque International Sunport, Valle de Oro is “one of the most ambitious urban conservation projects in the nation,” according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It was established after the land, a former dairy farm, was put up for sale in 2012, and residents banded together to raise money to purchase the property to protect it from urban expansion and open it for recreation.
The approximately 570-acre refuge was built from the ground up with a focus on restoring this land to a more natural environment that locals and visitors alike can enjoy. Some of the restoration work at the refuge has included planting cottonwood trees to expand the bosque, and seasonal flooding of parts of the refuge to help imitate the river’s natural cycles…