EL PASO, Texas — The wild waters of the Rio Grande have not flowed freely through the Rio Bosque wetland since 1943.
After being left to run dry for most of the 20th Century, locals in recent years have secured enough water to flood new life into this El Paso ecosystem — though its challenges are far from over. These days, the 372-acre Rio Bosque Wetlands Park gives visitors a glimpse at what the riparian environment looked like long before urbanization and a hardened U.S.-Mexico border fundamentally altered the landscape.
“We’re trying to reestablish the historic environment of the valley for people to experience,” said John Sproul, sporting a worn baseball cap as he hiked through the wetland one windy spring morning…