julia bernal, 24, serves as the refuge’s water resources technician through the bureau of indian affairs native american water corps.
T
he Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge was an aspiration long before it was a place. For years, locals had sought protection for the onetime dairy farm, one of Albuquerque’s larg-
est undeveloped riverside tracts in private hands. The property came with water rights—crucial for restoring wetland habitat. Most importantly, it was perfectly situated to make nature more accessible to people in New Mexico’s most populous city. “Residents here were very vocal. They told us, ‘We want to see this happen,’” says The Trust for Public Land’s Greg Hiner. “Historically, the South Valley was where businesses put everything that nobody wanted to live next to—salvage yards, a fuel depot. This community has been forced to contend with an unfair share of environmental justice issues, and it was in dire need of green space.”
Conserving the land was a “no-brainer” for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, says its southwest regional director, Dr. Benjamin Tuggle. “We had a lot of partners, a lot of com- munity support, and it was in line with our focus on urban constituents.” After The Trust for Public Land helped negoti- ate and execute the land transaction, the next step was for Fish and Wildlife to find the right refuge manager to take the helm—someone up for the challenge of restoring the proper- ty, with experience connecting city dwellers to nature. Tuggle didn’t have to look far. A few hundred miles down the river in neighboring Texas, Owen-White, then manager of Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, was ideally qualified. “This is a calling for her, and she’s been a godsend,” says
Tuggle. “Her ability to talk to a variety of people, to attract youth and youth programs to the refuge—that’s why she’s the right person for the job.”
The outdoor classroom
42 · LAND&PEOPLE · SPRING/SUMMER 2016
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