Federal shutdown impacts Bosque del Apache refuge

Dr. Jonathan Dowell has been visiting the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge since 1990 and said the Festival of Cranes is very important to him. The refuge, he said, is the top wildlife refuge in the state and its staff’s knowledge and dedication is outstanding.

This year, the festival was canceled for the first time in its multi-decade history due to the federal government shutdown. For the tens of thousands of visitors who typically descend on Socorro County each November, the loss was emotional. 

The refuge, information center and Nature Store have all been reopened and visitors from around the world are on site daily to view and photograph the wildlife. 

However, for Dowell, the impact of the shutdown is alarming. He worries about how the environment may suffer from the time lost that is usually spent mowing and flooding the refuge in preparation for the migrating wildlife, including sandhill cranes and snow geese. 

Dowell, a retired Los Alamos National Laboratory engineer and two-time winner of the refuge’s annual photography contest, said his love for birds began in childhood. He recalled trailing behind his father—a rural Missouri family doctor and avid songbird researcher—on early morning outings.

“He would identify warblers by their songs in the pre-dawn light,” Dowell said. “We’d go to wildlife refuges in North Missouri. It was lovely to spend that time with my folks and learn about these birds.”

Dowell noted that habitat loss is the number one threat facing birds nationwide. The refuge’s wetlands—which must be carefully irrigated, maintained and mowed by staff—replace natural flooding cycles that no longer occur. The refuge’s ability to provide food and safe roosting areas is critical for overwintering species like sandhill cranes and snow geese.

But those operations came to a sudden halt during the shutdown.

With federal staff furloughed for over a month, essential work on wetland management stopped at the very moment it was needed most.

“The workers were not able to mow crops, irrigate fields, or create the protected water the birds depend on,” Dowell said. “Those weeks are crucial.” 

Festival of Cranes Manager Cari Powell said that six weeks of preparation were lost when refuge staff normally flood wetlands and make food resources accessible to wildlife. During that time, she said, roads were not graded and volunteers were not on the refuge to remind visitors to stay out of closed and sensitive areas. 

“Am I concerned? I am, yes,” said Dowell.

The economic hit to Socorro County is also significant, he said, with the loss of visitors’ business, as well as the loss of contributions that are usually made to Friends of Bosque del Apache during the festival. 

“The Bosque Nature Store lost approximately $45,000 in sales that support the refuge year round,” Powell said. The store, located at the information center, is currently open from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. and hosts a wide selection of gifts and memorabilia, including jewelry, home goods and books for youth and adults.

Dowell and his wife have long supported the refuge not only through photography and volunteerism, but financially. Since around 2018, they’ve funded the salaries of federal summer interns—college students who help with critical fieldwork and lead environmental education in local schools.

“It’s been delightful,” he said. “We’d donate the money with the stipulation that we get to take them all to supper. To meet them, shake their hands, thank them for their work.”

Last year, the couple received the Martha Hatch Volunteer of the Year Award from Friends of Bosque del Apache.

“It’s important to get young people aware of the importance of these refuges,” Dowell said. “They’re the ones who’ll make the decisions that matter.”

Though most visitors come in winter for the cranes and snow geese, Dowell insists the refuge is spectacular year-round. He has photographed endangered willow flycatchers in summer and peregrine falcon chicks nesting on the cliffs. He visits five or six times annually and has spent months working onsite as an engineering contractor for a soil moisture monitoring project.

“It’s a refuge for four seasons,” he said. “It’s incredible.”

Despite his concerns, Dowell remains committed to the refuge’s future—and hopes this year’s cancellation serves as a wake-up call.

“The Wildlife Refuge System is one of the best ideas America has ever had,” he said. “It needs to be funded at the level required to protect these habitats. Without that, it’s a crisis.”