WildEarth Guardians Awarded Two State River Restoration Grants

Funds Projects on Rio Puerco and La Jencia Creek

SANTE FE, N.M. - New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson announced on September 24th that WildEarth Guardians has been awarded two river restoration grants to restore native vegetation and improve stream ecosystem habitat in New Mexico. The restoration projects are located along the Rio Puerco, south of Cuba, and La Jencia Creek, west of Socorro. These projects will occur on state, Bureau of Land Management, and private lands, and will focus on restoring more than four miles of the two streams.

“We are grateful to be recognized for our efforts to restore these vital ecosystems in New Mexico,” said Jim Matison, Restoration Projects Director for WildEarth Guardians. “This is an opportunity to improve the hydrologic and ecological function that promotes the sustainability of our waterways,” Matison added “The vast majority of riparian habitat in the southwest has been lost due to human impacts, and these habitats play a key role in water quality, wildlife habitat, and recreation. It is critical that we continue our efforts to restore these dynamic arteries of life.“

The grants, $157,750 for the Rio Puerco and $137,700 for the La Jencia Creek project, provide funding to remove non-native vegetation, plant native vegetation and restore stream channels. When completed, each project will result in the planting of more than 30,000 native cottonwoods and willows, which are two of the most common species that naturally occur along New Mexico’s waterways.

The state awarded fifteen grants for a total of $2.8 million in funding to help restore and improve the health of New Mexico’s river ecosystems. Projects receiving money are located throughout the state in many of the major watersheds. This is the second year of Governor Richardson’s historic River Ecosystem Restoration Initiative. In 2007, twelve projects received $2.5 million - the first time in New Mexico’s history that state funds have been allocated specifically to protect and restore rivers and streams.

“Over the past two years, our river restoration projects have touched every corner of the state - from Cimarron to the Gila and from the San Juan to the Lower Pecos,” Governor Richardson said. “The funding I awarded today will help maintain the health of river ecosystems to protect water quality, agriculture, fishing and the recharge of our aquifers.”

WildEarth Guardians has been working to restore New Mexico’s river corridors on the Rio Puerco and Santa Fe River since the mid 1990s. The organization is currently working on stream restoration projects on Bluewater, Las Huertas, and La Jencia creeks, as well as San Marcos Spring.


 

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