History
edit- Forest Guardians and the City of Santa Fe established the Santa Fe River Preserve in 1997 in an effort to highlight the critical importance of southwestern riparian habitats. Livestock were permanently excluded from the site.
- The preserve includes the broad floodplain of the perennial Santa Fe river, and is just a 15 minute drive from downtown Santa Fe. Since designation in 1997, the Preserve has grown to include almost two miles of the river within the Santa Fe Municipal Airport boundary. Hundreds of volunteers have participated in restoration plantings and clean-up days, re-connecting many members of the community with its namesake river.
- In 2005 the governor of Santa Fe, Bill Richardson, unvailed his Year of Water plan at the Santa Fe River Preserve.
Future
editForest Guardians plans on continuing its restoration efforts along the Santa Fe River, with approval from the Santa Fe County (owner), along an additional ½ mile of the river, immediately downstream of the existing Santa Fe River Preserve.
Visit the Preserve
editFrom Downtown Santa Fe the area is reached by taking Cerillos Avenue South to Airport Road. Take Airport Road Southwest and continue past the turnoff to the airport. Airport Road becomes county road 56. The preserve is one mile past the sewage treatment plant on the left side of the road.
External Links
editForest Guardians page about the Santa Fe River preserve
Newspaper Artical about the Year of Water hosted on the Forest Guardians webpage