Explore the state’s largest wildlife refuge at annual meeting

The Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge may be the largest wildlife refuge in New Mexico, but according to its advocates, it remains one of the state’s best-kept secrets.

That’s something Chuck Kooshian, acting president of Amigos de la Sevilleta, and Joan Kopietz, manager of the refuge’s nature store and visitor center, hope to change with the group’s upcoming annual meeting on Saturday, Jan. 24, at 2 p.m. at the Sevilleta Visitor Center. The meeting is free and open to the public, and refreshments will be served.

Stretching across approximately 230,000 acres between the Ladron and Pinos mountains, the Sevilleta is larger than Bosque del Apache and encompasses grasslands, wetlands, desert ecosystems and mountain foothills. Travelers driving along Interstate 25 between Socorro and Albuquerque pass directly through the refuge, often without realizing it.

“Because so much of the refuge is closed for research and wildlife management, people don’t always know what’s here,” Kooshian said. “But there are public trails, a visitor center, and so much happening that we want people to learn about.”

The Sevilleta is home to an extraordinary range of wildlife, including elk, black bears, bobcats, mountain lions and countless bird and insect species. Game cameras positioned around the refuge regularly capture images of animals rarely seen by visitors.

Much of the refuge’s closed land supports long-term scientific research. The University of New Mexico leads the Long Term Ecological Research project, which has tracked changes in climate, rainfall and vegetation for more than two decades. Other institutions, including New Mexico Tech and universities from around the country, conduct studies on insects, grasslands, desert expansion and species migration.

One focus of research is the slow northward advance of creosote bush, a key indicator of the Chihuahuan Desert’s expansion. Kooshian said researchers have been measuring its movement for decades, offering insight into climate change and shifting ecosystems.

The upcoming meeting will highlight one of the refuge’s most exciting recent developments: the reintroduction of the Bolson tortoise, the largest of North America’s gopher tortoises. The species had not lived in the Sevilleta area for roughly 10,000 years.

“They were found in Mexico in the 1960s and have been carefully bred for decades,” Kopietz said. “The Sevilleta was chosen as the most appropriate place to reintroduce them on public land.”

The tortoises were introduced about a year and a half ago and currently live in a closed area of the refuge. Amigos de la Sevilleta is raising funds to build a habitat near the visitor center so the public can see them up close. Bolson tortoises can grow up to 15 inches long and are believed to live more than a century.

“They’re fascinating animals,” Kopietz said. “We want people to come here to see them the way they go to Bosque del Apache to see sandhill cranes.”

In addition to refuge updates from staff, the meeting’s featured speaker will be Simon Doneski, a researcher with UNM’s Museum of Southwestern Biology. Doneski will present on butterfly conservation and the diverse butterfly species found across New Mexico, including those at the Sevilleta.

Butterflies are another major focus of citizen science at the refuge. For more than a decade, volunteers have participated in an annual butterfly count each August, contributing valuable data to national research databases. Kooshian, who leads the count, said some species are now staying farther north year-round, while others are expanding their range.

The Amigos de la Sevilleta is a nonprofit “friends group” with about 110 members. Volunteers support the refuge by staffing the visitor center, leading tours, maintaining fences and water systems, and assisting with wildlife monitoring.

Kopietz stepped into her role last year when staffing shortages threatened to close the visitor center entirely.

“Volunteers have really stepped up,” Kooshian said. “If you’ve ever wanted to work on a wildlife refuge, this is a great way to get involved.”

The annual meeting offers an entry point for newcomers to learn about the refuge, its research and volunteer opportunities.

“A lot of people don’t even know this place exists,” Kooshian said. “Coming to the meeting is a great way to find out what’s happening and how you can be part of it.”

The meeting will be held Saturday, Jan. 24, at 2 p.m. at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center.