NEXT PROJECT:
April 23-25
​Rio Mora National Wildlife Refuge

Project
LOCATION: Rio Mora Wildlife Refuge, near Las Vegas, NM

THE PROJECT: AWF’s first project of the season will be a bit unusual for us: the work will involve assisting with the construction of the first public trail at Rio Mora National Wildlife Refuge. Due to ongoing public health restrictions, this project is limited to 10 volunteers: please RSVP promptly if you would like to participate, and once we reach 10 sign-ups, we will create a waiting list.

If trail-building doesn’t appeal to you, or if this project fills up too quickly for you to join, don’t worry: next month’s project at Ft. Union Ranch (which borders on Rio Mora) will involve our traditional riparian restoration work, and we do not anticipate having to limit volunteer numbers.

SCHEDULE: Friday, April 23 – Sunday, April 25

Volunteers do not need to be present for the entire weekend to participate. You are welcome to join us just for the work day Saturday, or camp for just one of the two nights.

GEAR: Bring everything you need for a weekend of camping. For the work, don’t forget gloves, hat, long sleeves, long pants, sturdy boots, and sunscreen. Warm clothes for the evenings and plenty of water are essential.

FOOD: AWF will provide breakfast burritos on Saturday morning and bison or veggie burgers on Saturday evening. Please bring your own lunches, Friday dinner, Sunday breakfast, and lots of water!

TO SIGN UP: Contact Scial at rioscial@gmail.com or 505-480-2906.
Directions and further details will be sent to you once you sign up.

contact the Projects Committee Chair

Support AWF's work!  

2021 AWF Project Schedule
APRIL 23-25 - Rio Mora National Wildlife Refuge
MAY 14-16 - Ft. Union Ranch
JUNE 4-6 - Valles Caldera
JUNE 25-27 - Polvadera Creek, Jemez Mountains
JULY 16-18 - Valle Vidal
AUGUST 13-15 - Midnight Meadows, near Questa, NM
SEPTEMBER 10-12 - Limestone Canyon, near Magdalena, NM
SEPTEMBER 24-26 - Rio en Medio, near Santa Fe, NM
OCTOBER 23 - Local day project on Cedro Creek

awf projects

One of AWF's primary missions is to improve and preserve wildlife habitat for present and future uses. To further this goal, AWF hosts several volunteer restoration projects each year in locations around New Mexico. Project tasks include building rock structures in streambeds using the techniques developed by Bill Zeedyk, planting trees, installing fence exclosures to protect riparian areas, and removing old wire fencing that is hazardous to wildlife.

Some of the projects are one-day events at local venues in and around Albuquerque. Most are weekend camping trips in beautiful public lands in the state. Typically, participants arrive on Friday afternoon or evening, camp Friday and Saturday nights, and depart by Sunday noon. However, volunteers are welcome to join us just for the Saturday work day, or camp for just one of the two nights.

The camping events feature Saturday morning breakfast burritos and coffee, and a Saturday evening potluck dinner with grilled bison burgers and veggie options provided by AWF. Participants bring a dish to share to create a bountiful meal.

We welcome participants of all ages; individuals under 18 years of age require parental permission or supervision.

Safety Talk

Keeping our volunteers safe is AWF’s top priority on our restoration projects! One way we keep you safe is to make sure that you are aware of the potential risks involved in camping and working outside, as well as the actions that AWF takes to reduce those risks. We go over these hazards during our safety talk at the start of each project, but we also wanted to provide it here for you to review in advance of coming out on a project. Before starting work, we will ask you to sign a liability waiver indicating that you understand the potential risks of participating in a restoration project and that you accept responsibility for your safety on the project.

Click here to download AWF's Safety Talk as a pdf document.

AWF also has specific safety protocols in effect for the duration of the Covid-19 pandemic. Click here to review them.

AWF's Project Liability Waiver is available here.