| Outreach, Habitat Enhancement
8, 11, 12, 13, 14
The
many groups now working to solve the sizable problems facing
the Rio Grande agree about one thing: the need for public
education and outreach is essential to our collective efforts.
This project has been specifically designed to provide public
education and promote community participation in the restoration
of the Rio Grande bosque, while restoring a 5-acre bosque
site along Tingley Beach in Albuquerque.
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Since 1999, Rio Grande Restoration has developed a number
of education and outreach initiatives, with the objective
of enabling the general public to become more knowledgeable
about the river and the bosque. The Bosque Restoration Demonstration
Project is one of these initiatives.
Restoration activities throughout the Middle
Rio Grande are ongoing. The accumulation of high fuel loads
is one of the major concerns for the Albuquerque reach of
the Middle Rio Grande bosque. There is a vital link between
public awareness about fire dangers and the importance of
bosque restoration. The Bosque Restoration Demonstration Project
is a joint effort of Rio Grande Restoration, City of Albuquerque
Open Space Division, and the Rio Grande Nature Center State
Park, with the cooperation of the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy
District, to address fuels reduction and bosque restoration
within the Rio Grande Valley State Park. This project was
designed for public education purposes, to graphically depict
the contrast between a restored bosque and the bosque in its
present condition. It also has a public participation component,
providing opportunities for hands-on bosque restoration activities.
The project site is on 5 acres of a proposed
10-acre restoration site located on the east side of the Rio
Grande between Central Avenue and Bridge Blvd., along Tingley
Drive, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The site was selected because
of public access and visibility of
its location.
During
January and February, 2001, a major clearing of under-story
(fuel materials) was completed by inmate work crews, who worked
under the supervision of the State Forestry Division of Energy,
Minerals, and Natural Resources. Volunteers then further cleared
the area. In early April 2001, more than 30 volunteers from
local neighborhoods, area churches, environmental organizations,
and other concerned citizens, participated in planting cottonwood
poles. In June 2001, construction and other sizable debris
were hauled away by Lafarge. Rio Grande Restoration conducted
tours throughout the year of the Bosque Restoration Demonstration
Project site for city leaders, members of the Middle Rio Grande
Conservancy District staff and Board of Directors, representatives
of the Hispanic Cultural Center, and Leadership Albuquerque.
The site was also used for Open Space Division educational
programs. Rio Grande Restoration, along with the Open Space
Division, organized volunteer efforts that included removal
of smaller debris and garbage and replanting the area with
native species. Restoration efforts and stewardship programs
will continue with the anticipated participation of teachers
and students, community leaders, churches, synagogues, neighborhood
associations, and others.
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