Make your voice heard: Public meeting Wednesday to hear what people think is best for bosque parcel

Could the “ecological and management needs” of 212 acres in the bosque be better met by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service?

That’s what the New Mexico State Land Office hopes to find out through a series of public meetings and surveys.

Fish & Wildlife, which manages the nearby Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge, approached the State Land Office about a potential land transfer of a parcel that abuts the Isleta Pueblo and the Rio Grande Valley State Park, said Joey Keefe, assistant commissioner of communications for the State Land Office.

“Public participation is vital and will help New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands Stephanie Garcia Richard determine whether or not to approve the proposal,” states a news release from the office. “Other suggestions about potential uses of the parcel are encouraged.”

Surveys, which are available online and will be distributed on paper at the three scheduled meetings, ask nearby residents what activities they think should be permitted on the parcel, including hiking, birdwatching, biking and hunting.

Waterfowl hunting was once allowed on the property. But after complaints from nearby residents a few years ago, Keefe said, the State Land Office banned the practice.

Gail Garber is the executive director of Hawks Aloft, a part of the Bosque Action Team, a group of individuals and organizations with the goal of restoring and preserving the bosque.

Garber said the organization is monitoring nesting raptors in the area this year.

She said she is “100% in favor” of transferring the lands. She said restoration projects, including planting vegetation, could attract endangered species like the Southwestern willow flycatcher and the yellow-billed cuckoo.

“In general, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is a good steward of their land,” Garber said. “... If they take that over, it will be beautiful.”

Regardless if the transfer goes through, Keefe said, the office will use community input to decide what activities are allowed in the area. He said the office has started outreach to the Isleta Pueblo to gather input.

The meeting will be at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Henry “Kiki” Saavedra Community Center, 201 Prosperity SE. There is also a zoom link available. The online survey can be found at www.nmstatelands.org/albuquerque-south-valley-meetings.