Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge

Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge (VODNWR), the Southwest’s first urban refuge will serve as an urban oasis for both wildlife and people on 570 acres of a former dairy farm just five miles south of downtown Albuquerque on the Rio Grande. The refuge has little infrastructure and the beginnings of a trail system for us to maintain, therefore we’re a big part of whatever it will become! This year we’ll be expanding and improving what exists while laying the foundation for the future.

There has been a change in scope: this year we’ll be assisting the refuge with native species restoration by planting several hundred Cottonwood saplings in the bosque area along the Rio Grande. We won’t be the only volunteer group in attendance; we’ll be accompanied by 30-40 volunteers from the Albuquerque Wildlife Federation, 40 or so volunteers from Wild Earth Guardians, a troop of Boy Scouts and I would expect a few folks from the Friends of Valle De Oro.

We intend to rendezvous with Jennifer Owen-White, the Refuge Manager, 8:30 AM on Saturday, April 1st and begin work around 9:00 AM; we anticipate ending around 2:00 PM. Volunteers should wear long pants, long sleeves, sturdy boots (absolutely no sandals or tennis/athletic shoes), work gloves; helmets and eye protection are highly recommended. Also, bring sun and rain protection (just in case), plenty of drinking water and snacks. Lunch will be provided by the Friends of Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge (http://friendsofvalledeoro.wildapricot.org/). Registration for this project is required for planning purposes; please sign up through the project leader (info below) no later than 12:00 PM on Wednesday, March 29th.

If this is your first NMVFO project, you can find more information about what to expect at http://nmvfo.org/volunteer/volunteer-faq or email or call me (Chris), the project leaders, [masked], (505)[masked] or Erin, (406)[masked] & John, (505)[masked] Gaberlavage, [masked].