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Excerpts from Fall 2008
Friends Annual Meeting
Baca National Wildlife Refuge July 2008
Discussing the weir that lets water go through to the creeks, but not fish.
Elk gather near the hay bales.
President's Message
by Tim Armstrong
I've been thinking about "Our
Refuges" the last few weeks. For many of us, the two words have deep
meaning. "Our" signifies the ownership that many people feel
for their local refuges that drives people to contribute their time, energy,
and resources to support refuges that are near and dear to their hearts.
Although National Wildlife "refuges" were originally set aside
for wildlife, they provide refuges for people as well. Refuges are a place
where we can enjoy a natural setting and escape the stresses of everyday
life. For many people, their local refuges provide a sense of familiarity
and intimacy that is both comforting and refreshing.
The three National Wildlife Refuges in the San Luis Valley protect nearly
100,000 acres of habitat. Both the Alamosa and Monte Vista refuges are
open to the public, and provide opportunities for recreational activities
that include bird watching, nature photography, and hunting.
The Baca refuge remains closed to the public until they develop a comprehensive
conservation plan. Access to the Baca is available periodically, especially
for Friends members. In July, the refuge manager at the Baca, Ron Garcia,
hosted our annual meeting with a behind-the-scenes tour of the Baca for
Friends members only. Ron showed us some of his efforts to control noxious
weeds and described ongoing efforts to gather baseline data on how the
wetlands function and the wildlife that is present.
In August, we hosted a refuge workday at the Baca to remove some old barbed
wire fencing. During the morning's work, we removed the three top strands
of wire from over two miles of fencing in an area where elk move regularly.
The Baca is an important calving area for elk, and high barbed wire fences
can be a real hazard for elk and other wildlife. If you have ever seen
the remains of an animal that has died after getting tangled in barbed
wire, then removing unused fencing is one of the most rewarding projects
we sponsor on the refuges. Over the last several years, we have removed
several miles of old, unused fencing from all three local refuges.
I hope that you make time to visit one of "our refuges" this
fall. We have several events planned, and we would love to see you at
one of them.
