Department of Biology: Bosque Ecosystem Monitoring Grant

Bosque Ecosystem Monitoring Program (BEMP) is a long-term monitoring program based on science and outreach. It began in 1997, as a joint effort between Bosque School and the Department of Biology at the University of New Mexico (UNM).  BEMP research is conducted by student and citizen volunteers along the Middle Rio Grande and its associated riparian forest, known locally by its Spanish name ‘bosque’.  Through this project, citizen and student groups accept responsibility for gathering long-term data related to the overall condition of the forest ecosystem located along New Mexico’s most prominent river. 

The primary purpose of this project is to continue long-term monitoring of fish and wildlife habitat associated with the Middle Rio Grande and its riparian areas.  The monitoring occurs at 24 sites in the Middle Rio Grande Bosque (riparian forest) between Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo and Las Cruces, NM, approximately 313 miles.  This include 2 new sites at the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge which will provide data for adaptive management of the Bosque del Apache Pilot River Realignment Project and future habitat restoration projects.

This data collection would add to the data already collected to document the Middle Rio Grande ecosystem’s variation in terrestrial habitat diversity, which is influenced by river regulation and flooding, as well as fire and pre-or-post-fire clearing of exotic Bosque vegetation. This monitoring will continue to assess changes in the riparian ecosystem through time.  The public can utilize the BEMP data to assess conditions and changes over time.  Through this biological information, the ecosystem can be adaptively managed for cost-effective conservation of species.