Mesilla Valley Bosque Park
The Rio Grande is the life's blood of Southern New Mexico. As the only major through-flowing stream in the Chihuahuan Desert, it provides unparalleled riparian and aquatic habitat for a rich diversity of plants and animals. Within the Mesilla Valley, some 333 vertebrate species occur in the aquatic and riparian habitats provided by the Rio Grande and its floodplain. To protect and enhance this significant natural resource, the Southwest Environmental Center has proposed the creation of the Mesilla Valley Bosque Park. This regional nature park will showcase the biological wonder and diversity of a restored Rio Grande, its floodplain, and its connection with the adjacent uplands. In addition to providing numerous educational and recreational opportunities to local residents, the MVBP will draw tourists and wildlife enthusiasts to the area, all the while serving as a much-needed model for reversing, at least in some small way, the effects of one hundred years of environmental degradation along the Rio Grande.
Access to the Public
The proposed MVBP encompasses approximately 580 acres of riparian and upland habitat along 3-miles of the Rio Grande and west mesa escarpment in the Mesilla Valley. Located less than 2-miles west of Mesilla, NM and nearby Las Cruces, the park will be easily accessed by the public.
Habitat Restoration
The MVBP offers an unparalleled opportunity for restoration of a mosaic of riparian, aquatic, and upland habitats, including cottonwood/black willow bosque, salt grass meadows and marshes, upland arroyos, wetlands and a constructed river meander. Restoration efforts so far include numerous tree plantins, beaver proofing existing trees, and the construction of a wetlands area, a joint project between the City of Las Cruces and the Southwest Environmental Center.
Education and Recreation
The park will feature an interpretive center with a classroom for nature study and interpretive tails highlighting the ecological, cultural, and recreational attributes of the Rio Grande. It will also provide access to the Rio Grande and numerous recreational activities, including picnicking, walking, river sports, bicycling and wildlife viewing. Archeological sites located in the upland areas of the proposed park could be developed in order to highlight historic peoples, uses, and cultures of the Rio Grande.