Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge

Location

The name of the refuge means "woodland of the Apache" [sg] in Spanish, named for the Apache tribes that once camped in the forests along the Rio Grande. Previously, the Piro people had lived in the lands around what is now the refuge until the 1600s, when they were forced to abandon their pueblos due to European diseases and attacks from the Apache tribes.

The heart of the refuge comprises approximately 3800 acre of Rio Grande floodplain and 9100 acre of irrigated farms and wetlands. In addition to this, the refuge contains 44300 acre of arid grasslands and foothills of the Chupadera and San Pascual Mountains. The refuge sits within the Little San Pascual Mountain fault zone, rendering it an ideal site for conducting research on stratigraphy and sedimentology.

About 30000 acre of this is designated as wilderness. A fourteen-mile-long (22.5 km) loop road divided by a cutoff into a north loop and south loop allows automobile drivers excellent views of wetland wildlife and raptors, and there are several short (0.5 to 2 miles) walking trails. The road affords good views of the seasonal wetlands where numerous birds may be seen. Adjacent to the Visitor Center, a desert plant garden is maintained.

Terrain

About 7,000 acres (28 km2) in the center of the refuge are made up of flood-plains watered by irrigation systems connected to the Rio Grande. These flood-plains provide an essential habitat for cottonwood and honey mesquite trees, Goodding's and coyote willows, and four-wing saltbushes. The plains are flooded periodically to give these plants the best growing conditions.

The flood plains also grow foods for the wildlife that need marshlands to grow. These plants include smartweed, millet, bulrush, chufa, and various sedges. These marshlands begin dry, and are burned or turned over before they are flooded in order to produce fresh soil for the new plants. They are then flooded to become the breeding grounds for these marsh plants. The Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge and the wetlands near the Elephant Butte and Caballo reservoirs demonstrate considerable promise for sustaining breeding bird populations over the course of the century. Similar suitable breeding terrain is found only on private land surrounding the refuge. Changes in surface flooding and vegetation structure are not affecting shrub-nesting birds who can use other woody debris for nesting; however, canopy nesting birds rely on native trees and are thus more sensitive to environmental changes.

The Bosque del Apache is also made up of several acres of dry land. One unit contains 5,440 acres (23 km2) of scrubland and desert terrain that is connected to the Chihuahuan desert. This area is called the Chupadera Peak Wilderness Unit. In addition to desert terrain, the Chupadera Peak Wilderness Unit is characterized by tall, reddish cliffs.

Birds

There have been 406 different bird species observed in the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge since 1964 according to eBird, making it one of the most diverse areas for bird species in the United States . Seasonal wetlands attract the huge flocks of wintering sandhill cranes and geese that are popular with visitors. Many other species—notably waterfowl, shorebirds, and birds of prey—also winter in the refuge. Striking vagrants such as a sungrebe and rufous-necked wood rail have been found there. In the Chihuahuan desert terrain outside of the Rio Grande riparian zone, the refuge also hosts three federally designated Wilderness areas (Chupadera, Little San Pascual, and Indian Well).

The diversity of birds is also high in spring, particularly the last week of April and first week of May, and in fall. In summer the area is hot but many water birds can be found, including such New Mexico rarities as the least bittern and occasionally the little blue heron. Late November to mid February is the best time for large numbers of birds, including thousands of sandhill cranes and over 10,000 Ross's and snow geese. An annual 'festival of the cranes' is held in early December as large numbers of cranes begin arriving in the refuge. Winter visitors generally plan to be in the refuge at sunrise or sunset, when the flocks of cranes and geese that roost in the refuge "commute" to or from local fields where they feed. Although winter sunsets and especially sunrises are chilly, the daily low temperature is seldom far below freezing. Visitors typically stay in the nearby RV park or in Socorro or San Antonio.

Biology

In addition to hosting rare bird species, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge is also home to the southernmost known population of the New Mexico meadow jumping mouse along the Rio Grande river. This mouse is a distinctive, genetically unique subspecies found in certain regions of New Mexico, Arizona, and southern Colorado. Due to its rarity, the New Mexico meadow jumping mouse has been listed as an endangered species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

An overabundance of the invasive tree species Tamarisk (also known as salt cedar) on the refuge has posed a threat to habitats utilized by native wildlife species. To combat this issue, Bosque NWR has utilized various control methods over time, such as mechanical removal, herbicide application, and prescribed burning. The Tamarisk removal efforts undertaken on the refuge have served as a case study for similar removal initiatives in other protected areas.

References

Citations

References

1. {{FWS area. 2009
2. "About the Refuge – Bosque del Apache – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service".
3. "Visit Us".
4. (2017-05-03). "Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refugeaccess".
5. "About Us".
6. Koning, Daniel J., Heizler, Matthew T.. (Jan 2022). "Stratigraphy and sedimentology of the Santa Fe Group adjoining the Little San Pascual Mountains – implications for footwall exhumation and evolution of the Little San Pascual Mountain fault zone". New Mexico Geological Society.
7. "Hiking Trails – Bosque del Apache – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service".
8. Sapp, Methea K.. (2009). "America's Natural Places: Pacific and West". ABC-CLIO.
9. Friggens, M. M., & Finch, D. M. (December 23, 2015). "Implications of Climate Change for Bird Conservation in the Southwestern US under Three Alternative Futures". PLOS.
10. Hamilton, S.G., King, S.L., Dello Russo, G. Kaller, M.D.. (25 May 2019). "Effect of Hydrologic, Geomorphic, and Vegetative Conditions on Avian Communities in The Middle Rio Grande of New Mexico". Wetlands: Official Scholarly Journal of the Society of Wetland Scientists.
11. "Wilderness Units – Bosque del Apache – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service".
12. "Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge".
13. Wright, G. D., & Frey, J. K.. (1 Feb 2015). "Habitat Selection by the Endangered New Mexico Meadow Jumping Mouse on an Irrigated Floodplain". Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management.
14. Briggs, Mark K., Osterkamp, Waite R.. (2021). "Renewing Our Rivers : Stream Corridor Restoration in Dryland Regions". University of Arizona Press.
15. "About the Refuge". Fish and Wildlife Service.
16. "Bosque del Apache NWR". Fish and Wildlife Service.
17. "Tour loop map". Friends of the Bosque.