North Beach bosque improvements underway
Near-term upgrades will protect habitat, improve trail
Rio Rancho is beginning some long-planned for improvements to protect the bosque and aid in navigation on the trail along the Rio Grande.
The trail improvements, which are along 0.75-mile segment near the River’s Edge development, will not include any changes to the bosque habitat and are a progression of the Bosque Management Plan, which has been in place since 2006.
Connie Peterson, director of the city’s Parks, Recreation & Community Services department, said in an email that the city will hold an informational meeting about the plans on Thursday, March 16, at 6 p.m. at City Hall.
“We’ve been responding to a lot of citizen inquires (about the project) and decided to hold an informational meeting” to explain the plans and what work will actually be conducted in the project area, she said in an email.
The only immediate improvements are the installation of etiquette/directional signs and railroad ties in the parking lot. These improvements are in response to concerns presented at three public meetings held last spring and summer.
“These improvements follow the general plans and processes made by the department in the past,” she said. “They will make the Rio Rancho bosque easier to navigate.”
“Our goal is to protect the bosque habitat,” she said.
In the near future, the department plans to complete the improvements to the existing trail that will better delineate the trail and improve the surface. That will include working on areas that need erosion control.
“We also plan to create three small ‘turnouts’ or viewing areas along the trail (close to the North Beach parking lot) ,” she wrote. To minimize off-trail use, the trail will be better-defined. But all this will be occurring within the existing path — no new trail will be built.
Albuquerque recently completed bosque trail restoration and improvements along a stretch on the east side of the Rio Grande from Central to Montaño. The 6-foot-wide stable surface allows wider access to those wanting to experience the Rio Grande. The plan also implemented a restoration project of native vegetation.