Bosque To Close In Three Counties

From Bernalillo County Public Information Officer, Tom Thorpe

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BOSQUE TO CLOSE IN THREE COUNTIES
Sandoval, Valencia and Socorro to Have Full Closure

Albuquerque – Due to continued drought conditions and the extreme fire danger in the bosque area of the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District, as of 8:00 a.m. Friday, June 29, 2012, the bosque in Sandoval, Valencia and Socorro counties will be CLOSED until further notice.

“We need to protect this beautiful natural resource and ensure the safety of everyone who uses the bosque.” says MRGCD Chairman of the Board, Derrick Lente. “As the majority land owner of the bosque, we have always worked closely with all stakeholders in the district to ensure our bosque remains beautiful and viable.” Lente adds.
The FULL CLOSURE of the MRGCD bosque means that all paths, ditch roads near the bosque and the forest (trees) are closed to all users.

Law enforcement and fire agencies in those three counties have assured the MRGCD that all measures possible will be taken to restrict access to the bosque..

The MRGCD “Fire Policy” and “Stage II” fire restrictions remain in effect in the bosque of Bernalillo County and the City of Albuquerque which prohibits smoking, fireworks or any other possible spark emitting devices anywhere near the bosque area!

The bosque in Sandoval, Valencia and Socorro Counties will close as of 8:00 a.m. Friday, June 29, 2012 until further notice.

About the MRGCD: The Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District has been promoting sustainable agriculture for the past 75 years. The District delivers water to about 70,000 acres of cropland in the Middle Rio Grande Valley. That water is reused time and time again. It waters crops, sustains the cottonwood bosque along the Rio Grande, helps sustain the endangered Rio Grande silvery minnow and recharges the aquifer. The District owns 30,000 acres of bosque in the valley, a stretch of land that provides unprecedented recreational opportunities and an irreplaceable swath of greenbelt in New Mexico largest metropolitan area. The District was formed in 1925 to alleviate flooding and to reclaim farmland in the valley. Its boundaries stretch 150 miles from Cochiti to the northern boundary of the Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, running through Sandoval, Bernalillo, Valencia and Socorro Counties. It operates more than 1,200 miles of canals, laterals and drains, which are used to convey water to and from cropland. The District is funded by water service charges and property assessments on the benefited lands within its boundaries.

Tom Thorpe
Public Information Officer
MRGCD
1931 2nd St, SW
Albuquerque, NM 87102
C: (505) 382-9306
O: (505) 247-0234
Tom@mrgcd.us