San Andres National Wildlife Refuge Web site Ongoing Projects Page, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service


Heavy equipment work assisting Interagency lands with removing invasive salt cedar. Photo Credit: M. Goyette, USFWS
Ongoing Projects of San Andres Wildlife Refuge
The operation of a National Wildlife Refuge requires a lot of effort on the part of Refuge staff and volunteers. Projects range from installing a public information kiosk, to installing green energy projects that reduce the amount of non-renewable energy consumed by the Refuge. The Refuge received a 2008 Federal Energy and Water Management Award from the U.S. Department of Energy for our work on trying to convert all electricity use on the Refuge from non-renewable to renewable sources. The Refuge has installed approximately 6 Kilowatts of solar and wind energy production facilities at the headquarters. This has reduced our electricity consumption from the local utility by about 80%. The Refuge is working to obtain additional solar capability so that all electrical needs are powered by renewable energy produced on site. The Refuge also received a 2008 Environmental Achievement Award for this same project from the Department of Interior. The Refuge has also converted all heavy equipment and all but one hybrid motor vehicle to run on a mixture of biodiesel. Soil erosion projects are being constructed with the assistance of local volunteer organizations. This work is performed to reverse head cutting in arroyos and to protect springs and roadways from being washed out by heavy rains. Refuge staff have recently completed the installation of a multi-agency kiosk at the San Augustin Pass on the south side of U.S. Highway 70 East. The informative kiosk panels tell visitors about the area and all the different Federal agencies that manage land in the Tularosa Basin.

New mutli-agency kiosk at San Augustin Pass on the south side of Highway 70 East. Photo Credit: K. Cobble, USFWS

	San Andres National Wildlife Refuge is the third largest Refuge in New Mexico. Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge is the largest in the state at 229,673 acres and Grulla National Wildlife Refuge in eastern New Mexico is the smallest with 3,230 acres. The seven Wildlife Refuges in New Mexico contain a cumulative total of 384,430 acres of invaluable wildlife habitat.

January 2013 snowfall on the Refuge. Photo taken by K. Cobble, Refuge Manager

January 2013 snowfall on Refuge. Photo Credit: K. Cobble, USFWS

Link to DRAFT Environmental Assessment for non-native plant control and Rio Grande River re-establishment on U.S. International Boundary Water Commission and Burea of Land Management lands. COMMENT PERIOD HAS ENDED. FINAL EA COMING.

Link-DRAFT EA for non-native plant control and Rio Grande River restore

Solar panels at Refuge office. Photo taken by Refuge staff

Solar panels at Refuge office. Photo Credit: Refuge staff, USFWS

Installing kiosk panels at San Augustin Pass pullout. Photo taken by K. Cobble, Refuge Manager

Installing kiosk panels at Pass pullout Photo Credit: K. Cobble, USFWS

Kiosk installation at Highway 70 East, San Augustin Pass pullout. Photo taken by K. Cobble, Refuge Manager

Kiosk installation at Highway pullout. Photo Credit: K. Cobble, USFWS

Radio collared mountain lion-Puma concolor. Photo taken by Refuge remote camera

Mountain lion-Puma concolor. Photo Credit: Remote camera, USFWS

				U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
				San Andres National Wildlife Refuge
				"Conserving the Nature of America"	Southwest Region