Restoration Methods of Rio Mora National Wildlife Refuge
By Brian Miller
Restoration Techniques on the Rio Mora National Wildlife Refuge and Surrounding Area
When the virus came, and human mobility came to a standstill, we decided to make a powerpoint about the methods we use to reduce the legacy damage at the Rio Mora National Wildlife Refuge. These efforts started in 2005 when the land was still a private ranch owned by Eugene and Clare Thaw. The name of the ranch was Wind River Ranch, and the Wind River Ranch Foundation ran it like a protected area for native species only until the Thaws donated the land to USFWS in 2012.
Bill Zeedyk pioneered the techniques to reverse gully erosion, protect wetlands, reverse the negative effects of roads on natural water movement, and restore ecological function to rivers and streams. Bill has applied these techniques throughout the Southwest, and he has been on the ground at Rio Mora NWR since 2005 to lead our restoration efforts. In addition, our efforts to restore grasslands included reintroducing prairie dogs and bison. The bison are owned by the Pueblo of Pojoaque and serve the dual purpose of ecological and cultural restoration.
If you want to use these techniques, we recommend reading the papers written by Bill, which are listed at the end of the powerpoint. Even better would be having Bill, or someone familiar with his techniques, visit your land.
Download Brian’s presentation in PDF format.
Spanish Version
Cuando llegó el virus y la movilidad humana se detuvo, decidimos hacer un powerpoint sobre los métodos que usamos para reducir el daño heredado en el Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre Río Mora. Estos esfuerzos comenzaron en 2005 cuando la tierra todavía era un rancho privado propiedad de Eugene y Clare Thaw. El nombre del rancho era Wind River Ranch, y la Fundación Wind River Ranch lo dirigió como un área protegida para especies nativas solo hasta que Thaws donó la tierra a USFWS en 2012.
Bill Zeedyk fue pionero en las técnicas para revertir la erosión de los barrancos, proteger los humedales, revertir los efectos negativos de las carreteras en el movimiento natural del agua y restaurar la función ecológica de los ríos y arroyos. Bill ha aplicado estas técnicas en todo el suroeste y ha estado en el terreno en Rio Mora NWR desde 2005 para liderar nuestros esfuerzos de restauración. Además, nuestros esfuerzos para restaurar los pastizales incluyeron la reintroducción de los perros de las praderas y los bisontes. Los bisontes son propiedad del Pueblo de Pojoaque y tienen el doble propósito de restauración ecológica y cultural.
Si desea utilizar estas técnicas, le recomendamos leer los artículos escritos por Bill, que se enumeran al final del powerpoint. Aún mejor sería que Bill, o alguien familiarizado con sus técnicas, visitara su tierra.
Featured Image: Bison by David Mark from Pixabay. Spanish translation by Gerardo Montijo and Luis Ramirez.
Brian J. Miller received a PhD from the University of Wyoming in behavioral ecology and conservation of black-footed ferrets and was then awarded a Smithsonian Institution Fellowship at their Conservation and Research Center. Brian worked with the conservation of the endangered black-footed ferret for a decade, then lived in Mexico for five years beginning an ongoing research project on jaguars and pumas in the dry tropical forest of Jalisco, Mexico.
After seven years as a Coordinator of Conservation and Research at the Denver Zoological Foundation, Brian accepted a position to develop conservation and education programs at the Wind River Foundation. His main research interest concerns the role of highly interactive species (keystones) in regulating ecosystem processes, and how to improve protection for those species when designing reserves.
He has published 100 scientific articles, seven books, and has been on the board of five conservation organizations. He has helped start two protected areas, one of which is Rio Mora NWR. In 2009 he was given the Denver Zoo’s Annual Conservation Award. Brian is a member of the Rewilding Leadership Council.