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Volunteer work includes beaver proofing native trees, cutting and removing non-native, water-guzzling salt-cedar, and planting native species from seed and transplant.
On a part of a larger stretch of the Rio Grande that bears resemblance to the river of old, The Picacho Wetlands project is located on property owned and managed by the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish along the Rio Grande near Mesilla, and forms the core of restoration efforts in the proposed Mesilla Valley Bosque Park. SWEC is undertaking the project in partnership with the City of Las Cruces, Elephant Butte Irrigation District and others.
The conceptual plan calls for the construction of two wetland cells that will serve to expand and enhance existing wetlands at the site. The larger of the two areas will be approximately three acres of classic (palustrine) open-water wetland surrounded by vegetation in the shallow areas. It will be created by excavating a large contoured pond adjacent to the Picacho Drain. The drain bank will then be removed allowing the drain water to inundate the excavated areas. This wetland will enhance the existing palustrine wetland habitat found in the Picacho Drain by providing a deep-water refuge for aquatic species and expanded foraging habitat for migratory fowl. The smaller wetland area will serve to enhance another kind of riparian habitat: wet meadows. It will be constructed by excavating a shallow depression approximately one acre in size that will be periodically irrigated. This will allow a variety of grasses, rushes, and sedges to colonize a bare area of the floodplain, and provide habitat for waterfowl.
One of the main goals of the Picacho Wetlands project is to restore wildlife habitat along the Rio Grande. The importance of this kind of habitat is demonstrated by the variety of wildlife that are drawn to the remnant wetlands still in existence at the site. Recent sightings include two black bears, three bobcats, and the southern most pair of grey catbirds in New Mexico, to name a few. The area has long had a reputation as one of the best birding spots in the Mesilla Valley. A healthy population of beavers also makes their home in the banks of the Picacho Drain, providing a much-needed form of disturbance to the dense brush at the site.