Bosque School Burn Site
Led by Kyle Faig, Open Space Field Biologist; Dustin Chavez-Davis, Open Space Project Coordinator; and Kim Eichhorst, Co-Director of the Bosque Ecosystem Monitoring Program
This field trip to the bosque will highlight post-fire monitoring and restoration efforts on a portion of Cottonwood gallery forest within the Rio Grande Valley State Park, an area managed by City of ABQ Open Space Division which provides unique opportunities due to the partnership with nearby Bosque School and the long term monitoring efforts of the Bosque Ecosystem Monitoring Program (BEMP). There has been ongoing student‐led research in this area since 2004 that provides data on a number of issues from specific species such as porcupines and cottonwoods to larger complex habitats. Additionally, this area has a history of wildfires including 100 acres that burned in 2003 and more recently a fire in 2022 that burned 30 acres. The Open Space Division is working with NM State Forestry and other partners to develop a post‐fire remediation project to remove the hazardous dead trees, manage exotic resprouts and consideration of other restoration efforts to promote a resilient forest recovery.