Federal and state investment in Whitfield — your nature park

A new, blue and white sign at Whitfield’s gates is heralding substantial investment by federal, state and foundation donors in the work of the Valencia Soil and Water Conservation District. This financing supports infrastructure, jobs and training, aiming to build economic resiliency in the aftermath of the Big Hole Fire of April 11, 2022.

After the federal government reopens, Valencia SWCD will begin the first phase of construction at Whitfield: the district’s operations and economic development (OED) building, a second-floor research center and new outdoor classroom. The second phase, expected to commence early next year, includes irrigation infrastructure at the district’s 43-acre Stacy Unit, which will be used for fire abatement and firefighting and climate-adapted agriculture; and an ADA-accessible Wildlife observation deck for ecotourism, recreation, and education.

The third phase, to begin next autumn, will provide parking lot improvements and an access ramp to the observation deck, pond area, and trail system to enhance outdoor recreation and education.

The OED building will return the Visitor and Education Center to its intended uses: environmental education, job training and outreach. Once the district’s operations are moved to the OED, the resultant increased capacity in the Visitor and Education Center will mean more programming for district residents and tourists.

The investment in Whitfield in turn will bring revenue to the region. By way of example, at the district’s Earth Day with camels on April 18-19, the 600 people who visited — from Socorro to Santa Fe — also made purchases from event vendors and stopped for lunch and gas along the way, producing a positive economic impact on the local area with ecotourism dollars.

The city of Rio Communities Manager Dr. Martin Moore submitted one of eight official letters of support for the district’s Building Economic Resiliency grant applications, noting the district is connecting “vital economic concerns with rebuilding after the Big Hole Fire in an effective and thoughtful manner,” promoting economic development that is “well aligned with the comprehensive economic development strategy’s keys to improving economic conditions of the rural areas of the Middle Rio Grande: agriculture, entrepreneurship, and outdoor recreation—including ecotourism.”

At a recent Rio Communities forum, one individual illustrated the economic development potential that Whitfield offers to the community, serving as its outdoor recreation park.

After the infrastructure at Whitfield lands is completed, Valencia SWCD will plan an annual Middle Rio Grande birding trek among Whitfield and national wildlife refuges to the north and south. Featured in Birding Hotspots in Central New Mexico, Whitfield has a rightful place in the envisioned birding circuit.

Last Friday, partners from Audobon, Isleta Reach Stewardship Association, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Fish and Wildlife joined Valencia SWCD’s conservation program manager Michelle Dent for a 7 a.m. birding tour along Whitfield’s perimeter and maintenance trails.

Having started early, the group “observed dew drops on the tree leaves and frost on the grasses …and saw or heard 29 bird species,” reported Dent. Whitfield is home to more than 200 species of native and migratory birds, including those reported by last Friday’s visiting partners:

American kestrel, ring-necked pheasant, great-blue heron, Canada goose, mallard, white-winged dove, Say’s phoebe, spotted towhee, red-winged blackbird, northern flicker, downy woodpecker, lesser goldfinch, American goldfinch, Cooper’s hawk, house finch, starling, northern harrier, Woodhouse’s scrub-jay, pine siskin, song sparrow, Lincoln’s sparrow, white-crowned sparrow, MacGillivray’s warbler, yellow-rumped warbler, American robin, eastern bluebird, white-breasted nuthatch, and western meadowlark.

Earlier this month, several students from Los Lunas Schools observed Sandhill cranes, tadpole shrimp in mudpuddles, and a pregnant praying mantis. The district’s Environmental Education Program Manager Jeff Sanders also introduced the children to conservation concepts, including recycling, rainwater collection and biochar.

He later taught Los Lunas High School students how to collect rainwater for the school’s agricultural program. Sanders is encouraging teachers to “schedule free field trips to Whitfield for technical assistance with gardening and farming programs at schools” by calling him at 505-864-8914 or by emailing jeffsanders@valenciaswcd-nm.gov.

The district also invites the public to attend the upcoming workshop, “Future Scenario Planning for Drought and River Drying in the Middle Rio Grande,” on Oct.r 28-29 at the University of New Mexico’s Rotunda. The workshop, organized by the University of New Mexico’s ARID Institute, will be attended by nearly 100 subject-matter experts and includes a field trip to Whitfield. Experts will provide recommendations on fire- and drought-adapted restoration in the Middle Rio Grande bosque, which will help Valencia SWCD restore Whitfield after the Big Hole Fire. For more information, email Debbie Lee at debbieylee@unm.edu.

Finally, if you want to help sustain Whitfield, join the Friends of Whitfield by emailing info@friendsofwhitfield.org

(Greg Vince is an outdoor enthusiast and member of the Friends of Whitfield.)