Whitfield Wildlife Conservation Area

In central New Mexico, the Rio Grande supports a cottonwood-willow riparian forest (commonly referred to by its Spanish name, bosque) and associated wetlands that are invaluable for sustaining wildlife and a supply of water for irrigation.  In the past, many wetlands were converted to agriculture and, more recently, impacted by urbanization. In an effort to reverse the decline and degradation of the valuable Middle Rio Grande Bosque and its associated wetlands so vital to good quality water and species survivability, the Valencia Soil and Water Conservation District (District) embarked on a cooperative conservation project, the Whitfield Wildlife Conservation Area.