Bosque del Apache

Bosque del Apache is Spanish for "woods of the Apache," and is rooted in the time when the Spanish observed Apaches routinely camped in the riverside forest. Since then the name has come to mean one of the most spectacular national wildlife refuges in North America. Here, tens of thousands of birds--including sandhill cranes, Arctic geese, and many kinds of ducks--gather each autumn and stay through the winter. Feeding snow geese erupt in explosions of wings when frightened by a stalking coyote, and at dusk, flight after flight of geese and cranes return to roost in the marshes. In the summer Bosque del Apache lives its quiet, green life as an oasis in the arid lands that surround it.

The Festival of Cranes

The Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge is home to more than 340 species of birds located just over an hour south of Albuquerque. Tens of thousands of birds gather at the refuge each autumn and stay through the winter . Ranked as one of the best refuges in the country by the Audubon society, Bosque del Apache is home to the Festival of Cranes , held each November to celebrate the return of the Sandhill Cranes to the area. For more information regarding the Festival of Cranes or the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge , visit http://southwest.fws.gov/refuges/ newmex/bosque/.

Habitat Management Tools

Management tools used on the refuge include farming, prescribed burning, exotic plant control, moist soil management, and water level manipulation. Bosque del Apache NWR cooperates with local farmers to grow crops for wintering waterfowl and cranes. Farmers plant alfalfa and corn, harvesting the alfalfa and leaving the corn for wildlife. The refu g e staff grows corn, winter wheat, clover, and native plants as additional food.

Lowering water levels in marshes to create moist fields promotes growth of native marsh plants. Marsh management is rotated so that varied habitats are always available. Dry impoundments are disced or burned, then reflooded, to allow natural marsh plants to grow. When mature marsh conditions are reached, the cycle is repeated. Wildlife foods grown this way include smartweed, millets, chufa, bulrush, and sedges.

Many cottonwood and willow bosques that once lined the Rio Grande have been lost to human developments. Salt cedar or "tamarisk," originally introduced as an ornamental plant and for erosion control, has taken over vast areas and has low wildlife value. Salt cedar is being cleared and areas planted with cottonwood, black willow, and understory plants to restore native bosques that have higher value for wildlife.

Irrigation canals ensure critical water flow. Daily monitoring, mowing, and clearing keeps them functioning. Controlling the water enables refuge staff to manage the habitat.