Conservation of Rivers & Water

New Mexicans love rivers. Our cultural and natural heritage is synonymous with the Gila, San Juan, Pecos, Rio Grande, and Canadian rivers. Audubon New Mexico’s freshwater program is working to protect the natural benefits that healthy watersheds, riparian forests and rivers provide by enhancing state and federal restoration programs and funding.

Healthy rivers benefit New Mexicans and river-based communities in over a dozen ways.

Healthy, resilient rivers are also fish and wildlife’s front-line defense against climate variability. Healthy rivers supply connectivity or safe passage to fish and wildlife moving between elevations and ecological zones as they adapt to increases in temperatures, and increased frequency and intensity of floods and droughts.  As temperatures rise, healthy rivers provide a “thermal refugia” for wildlife as river corridors buffer extreme temperatures.

Many of the things New Mexicans value about our natural rivers are in danger. We are witnessing the decline of native plants and animals, the spread of invasive species, dry river channels and impaired ecological and physical function. Thirty-one percent of New Mexico’s assessed stream miles have water quality impairments. Fifty-five percent of New Mexico’s native fish species are considered to be threatened, endangered or already extinct.

Join Audubon New Mexico in supporting our river-based communities, federal and state natural resource agencies and citizens’ efforts to protect and restore New Mexico’ rivers and watersheds.

Statewide

Audubon New Mexico and partners are leading the effort to enhance funding for the state’s River Ecosystem Restoration Initiative (RERI).  Now in its third year of funding, RERI has awarded over $5 million in grant funding to 27 restoration projects benefiting over 2000 riparian acres and 30 river miles in 17 counties. The state’s investment in our rivers and watersheds has created 222 full-time, part time or temporary restoration-related jobs in the private sector.  Grantees have leveraged RERI funds dollar for dollar with over $6 million in matching funds and in-kind services. Over 90 partners have joined grantees in implementing restoration on-the-ground from federal resource agencies to citizen volunteers. The positive effects of these projects are already becoming apparent in every corner of the state. To take a closer look at a few of RERI’s projects, look at the RERI Booklet .

Rio Grande

Audubon New Mexico and partners are spearheading a grassroots campaign to fund the federal Rio Grande Environmental Management Program (RGEMP) and continue the program through 2015. Enacted in the 2007 Water Resource Development Act, RGEMP authorizes the Corps of Engineers to plan and construct fish and wildlife habitat and undertake long-term monitoring and data inventory along the 1900 miles of the Rio Grande and its tributaries in Colorado, New Mexico and Texas.  In 2008, an ad-hoc committee of basin-state wildlife agencies and conservation organizations identified over $44 million of habitat enhancement and applied research projects in need of funding.  Over a third of these projects are located in New Mexico.  To date, Congress has not appropriated any funding for RGEMP, and the authorization is currently slated to expire in 2011.

Acquisition and Restoration of Critical Rio Grande Lands in New Mexico
Audubon New Mexico is advocating for protection, restoration, and in some cases acquisition, of critical lands along the Rio Grande. We also partner with other organizations to host volunteer restoration work-days, lead field trips, and sponsor community events to highlight significant river birds and wildlife and foster stewardship of the Rio Grande.

Selden Canyon
Audubon New Mexico is advocating for restoration of Broad Canyon Ranch and protection of other lands along the Rio Grande in Selden Canyon in southern New Mexico.  The relatively remote and scenic Broad Canyon Ranch contains 1.5 miles of riparian bottomlands, the popular local birding destination, “Swan Pond,” and upland Chihuahuan Desert grasslands. Audubon New Mexico is partnering with New Mexico State Parks and U.S. Fish and Wildlife to fund the removal of saltcedar, survey song and waterbirds, and prepare a comprehensive restoration plan for Broad Canyon Ranch.

National Conservation Area
Discussions are underway to designate the Ute Mountain and the Upper Rio Grande in Taos County as a National Conservation and possible wilderness area. Audubon continues to work with elected officials to create this designation and hosted a letter-writing campaign to Senator Bingaman.

Indian Hill Farms
With federal Land Water and Conservation Funding, Audubon New Mexico is supporting the purchase of private lands (Indian Hill Farms) from willing sellers along the Rio Grande.  This 600-acre tract of irrigated farmland would augment the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge just north of Socorro. Senior water rights appurtenant to the farm could significantly enhance opportunities for wildlife habitat like moist soils, wetlands, riparian forests and dense riparian shrub. The small stretch of Rio Grande that is contained in the refuge contains the second largest population of the federally endangered southwestern willow flycatcher on the Rio Grande River, and plans are to restore parts of Indian Hill Farms for additional flycatcher habitat.

Outdoor Educaton Classes
Audubon New Mexico is hosting a series of outdoor education classes with elementary schools in Las Cruces to expose these students to the Rio Grande corridor, birds and our conservation ethic. With additional funding, Audubon New Mexico could expand the existing two-week program.

Rio Grande Day at the Roundhouse March 16, 2009 (YouTube video by Nat Stone)

Pecos River

Lower Pecos
Audubon NM is working to increase protection and awareness of the “Roswell Artesian Wetlands” situated along the Pecos River and comprising about 2,000 acres of wetlands and associated uplands on the public lands managed as Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge and Bottomless Lakes State Park in Chaves County. We continue to have meetings with officials and travel to Roswell to talk with business leaders about the impact of these birding “hot spots” to the local economy. Additionally, as with the Rio Grande, Audubon NM is hosting a series of outdoor education classes with two of the elementary schools to expose these students to the local “wonders” and our conservation ethic. These Roswell wetlands encompass and sustain unique and important state wildlife and habitat. For instance, the refuge is designated as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by Audubon to highlight the area’s wetlands and lakes that serve as resting, wintering, and feeding grounds for a variety of waterfowl, including Wilson’s Phalarope, Northern Pintail, and Sandhill Cranes, and to protect the nesting pairs of Black-necked Stilt, American Avocet, Least Tern, and Snowy Plover on the refuge. Advocacy for a Ramsar designation will draw attention to the value and contribution of these wetlands to the Pecos River complex, to the Chihuahuan Desert ecoregion, and to large scale ecological processes such as waterfowl migration. Audubon NM needs to cover staff time and travel costs, but would ideally hire a part-time outreach coordinator in Roswell to develop long-term relationships and programs. Ramsar Report

Upper Pecos
Audubon NM is working with the local watershed group, land trust and Audubon volunteers to do bird inventories and increase cooperation among private landowners and public agencies on management of the lands adjacent to river in Santa Fe and San Miguel County. This is in beginning stages and Audubon NM needs to cover staff costs.

Gila River

Partnering with the local chapter, Audubon NM continues to monitor the public policies affecting the Gila River and joined other conservation voices in 2007 and 2008 in protecting New Mexico’s “last wild river” from damming. Protection of this river was the genesis of Audubon’s presence in New Mexico, with the Southwestern New Mexico Audubon Society forming in 1968 to fight 2 proposed dams on this river. The fight still continues today.

We helped to sponsor Gila River Day at the State Capitol and the Gila River Festival in Silver City.