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Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge is calling on community members to lend a hand during its volunteer work day Saturday, Sept. 27, in celebration of National Public Lands Day.
“It’ll be primarily a landscaping day - pulling weeds, clearing limbs, trimming shrubs. The refuge will be providing the hand tools and gloves to get the work done,” Amanda Walker, a park ranger, said.
Volunteers are invited to check in at the Visitor Center between 8:30 and 11:30 a.m. to assist with landscaping tasks such as pulling weeds, trimming shrubs and clearing brush. The goal is to prepare the refuge for the arrival of wintering birds, including cranes and geese.
Participants will be assigned to one of two workstations within a two-mile radius of the Visitor Center. No advance registration is required. Volunteers may come and go during the event window, but all work will conclude by 11:30 a.m.
The cleanup will focus on improving visibility at designated “viewing windows” along the Tour Loop, where brush and weeds will be cleared to enhance wetland views.
“These are cleared areas looking into the wetlands, viewable from the Tour Loop. We’ll be clearing brush and weeds so the wetlands are easier to see!” said Walker.
In recognition of National Public Lands Day, entrance fees will be waived at all U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lands, including Bosque del Apache, allowing volunteers to explore the refuge for free after the event.
For more information, email BosquedelApacheNWR@fws.gov or call (575) 835-1828.
