Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge is a beautiful and fragile wetland in the New Mexico high desert. It is a rare section of the Rio Grande that performs much like it did historically, before man altered the river, although it now requires intense management to do so. This oasis in the desert is worth protecting as it faces multiple challenges, including a shrinking water supply from the Rio Grande and problematic and inconsistent federal funding.

Refuge staff work hard to maintain habitats for the wildlife that are permanent residents, those who migrate to the Middle Rio Grande valley in spring, and the tens of thousands of birds who winter here. The refuge simply cannot do all of this important work without our support. The Friends organization, people like you, provides that support on many levels. While we cannot put more water into the river, we do provide funds for water use efficiency. We cannot change the level of federal funding, but we do provide funds to help the refuge become a very efficient conservation enterprise. Challenges are growing and needs increasing, but we are developing and implementing programs to meet them.