An excavator arrives at the refuge, in preparation for work to begin on the critical Water for the Wild, water control infrastructure rehabilitation project.
We were blown away by your generosity during fundraising Phase 1 of our Water for the Wild campaign last March. Much has been quietly happening behind the scenes over the summer months, as we prepare to kick off the construction phase of the project. Because of your support, Friends received not one, but TWO matching grants, which is enough to replace five key inflows, and outflows. We were preparing to dive in on accomplishing that work when something exciting and surprising happened – while the contractor was visiting the refuge to plan the work, he observed that there are already a number of high-quality gates and materials on hand, sitting unused. He noted that this could allow for additional gates to be repaired.
In light of this new development and because there are so many high-priority water infrastructures needing repair at the refuge, Friends is now planning to support the dredging of a vital drainage ditch that services five of our wetland areas and the replacement of not just the originally planned five, but ten water control structures, including the inflow to the beloved Boardwalk!
Your ongoing donations over the summer are helping us meet this new, expanded budget, and we will accept donations throughout the fall. Work is scheduled to begin in a few short weeks and will continue into November, when the refuge shifts gears to prepare for the arrival of the cranes, snow geese, and a myriad of other winter migratory birds. All the needed reviews and permissions have been received, equipment has begun to arrive, and we look forward to helping the refuge endure in increasingly challenging times. Stay tuned for regular updates on the progress once construction begins.
Please join us in continuing to support this exciting and critically important expansion, which will allow the refuge to maximize every available drop of precious water and remain a healthy and viable migration stopover along the Rio Grande/Central Flyway for many more years to come.
For more information and to make a donation, please visit us online at Water for the Wild. Additionally, please plan to join us virtually on Tuesday, September 29, 2026 from 6pm – 7pm, MDT for a detailed presentation on the project, Water for the Wild – Rebuilding the Lifelines that Sustain Our Wetlands, with Claire Revekant, Refuge Biologist.