Monitoring the Bosque

Over the course of the summer Defenders of Wildlife volunteers from Albuquerque and Santa Fe joined me to collect data with the Bosque Ecosystem Monitoring Project (BEMP). Bosque means forest in Spanish, and in New Mexico is used to describe the forested areas along the riparian floodplains of the Rio Grande and other major rivers. Made up largely of cottonwoods that grow along our rivers, the bosque provides green oases for people and wildlife in an otherwise arid region. This project, a program of the Bosque School, brings students, citizens and scientists together to gather information on the ecosystem, both for research and to help the public better understand and appreciate this unique resource.

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Once a month from May through August, we met with coordinators from BEMP at a handful of their monitoring sites along the Rio Grande in the Albuquerque area. The area we were working in is home to several threatened and endangered species such as the southwest willow-flycatcher, yellow-billed cuckoo, and silvery minnow.

We measured groundwater depths, precipitation levels, and leaf litter in the bosque, all of which can provide insight into how healthy the forest is. The data is then posted online for local, state and federal agencies to use to inform decisions they make about how to care for the ecosystem. The monitoring program has existed for 17 years, and has played a key role in detecting threats to the Bosque. The program demonstrated the increasing presence of invasive plants and woody debris, as well as the impact that upstream dams and diversions in the river can have on the flora and fauna downstream.

During the school year, BEMP works with thousands of children in the Albuquerque public schools to collect the data, but because school is out during summer, Defenders of Wildlife volunteers were able to participate. The program is a great example of how citizen science projects can connect people to the natural world in their backyard and in this case, encourages them to think more closely about how the Bosque changes seasonally and over time. A big thanks to all the volunteers who took part in this project!