In order to avoid following the 120 mile westward loop of the Rio Grande they made a short cut of 90 miles across a treeless, waterless plain. This short cut would become known as the Jornada del Muerto (The journey of death).

At the end of that 90 miles would be water and bounty as they reencountered the valley of the Rio Grande at a place to be named "Paraje." Following the east side of the valley northward, across, and just a few miles downriver from the current city of Socorro, they passed directly through the 57,331 acres of what four centuries later became the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge.

If his group arrived in late winter they would have found the valley full of wintering waterfowl, elk and deer. This area of the southern reaches of the Rio Grande was the winter home to immense numbers of migrating birds, particularly the Sandhill Crane and the Snow Goose. Never again would they be seen in such numbers.

Habitat: 350 years of colonization and settlement led to the destruction of habitat that provided the winter food and shelter for the migrating flocks. Upriver dams, diversion channels and irrigation works did away with the seasonal flooding of the sandy floodplains of the Rio Grande, just as they have for countless other rivers in the country. The habitat destruction was such that just after the Refuge was founded in 1939 fewer than 20 Sandhill Cranes were counted wintering in this part of the valley.

Bird Counts: Today the winter count of Cranes averages 12,000 to 14,000; Snow Geese and Ross’s Geese - 32,000+. Counts taken on Dec. 31, 2010 found 23 hawks and owls, 12 Bald and Golden Eagles, 400 Canada Geese and ducks in excess of 58,000. The peak year recently for Sandhill Cranes was 2005/2006 when 19,000 were counted. Since 1940, 377 bird species have been recorded at the Refuge.

What made the change? Man destroyed the habitat and man is trying to repair it.

Revitalization: “Bosque” is a Spanish term referring to the woodlands that border streams and rivers in the Southwest. The “Bosque del Apache”, meaning the “woodland of the Apache” refers to the Apache Nation who traversed the lands east of the Rio Grande. Since none of the upstream diversions could be undone, the process initiated by the Wildlife Refuge to restore the Bosque was to manipulate the flow of water so as to mimic what nature did in the time of Oñate.

Annual precipitation here is only eight inches, so water is diverted from the Rio Grande into a series of diversion channels, from which branch off numerous controlled side channels. While there are some major ponds on the refuge, the marshes of old are recreated each season by flooding certain areas in advance of the bird migration. Once flooded, aquatic plants and tubers grow that are the early winter preferred food of the Sandhill Cranes. The marshes provide cover for the numerous ducks and geese.

Next, the Refuge has farmers grow corn and alfalfa. The alfalfa is harvested and the stubble fields provide browsing for the birds. This past year the Refuge grew 1.2 million pounds of corn which is used to feed the birds in late winter.

In November, the water flow to the controlled marshes is shut off and they are allowed to naturally dry up. Once the food supply there is exhausted, the birds move to the corn fields. Most of the corn is left standing and only a small portion is knocked down at one time for the birds to feed on. Cranes and geese will not go into standing corn for fear of Coyotes and Mountain Lions.

Winter cycle: The cranes and geese begin arriving in November. By mid-November there are so many there that years ago the Refuge, The Friends of the Bosque, and the towns of Socorro and San Antonio organized a week long “Festival of the Cranes”. The spectacular events for visitors are the early morning mass flights as the birds go off to the feeding grounds and the mass return to the resting areas at nightfall.

Watching all this attentively are the raptors and mountain lions that cannot possibly starve in this environment. Mountain lions have become such an issue that in 2010 approximately one half of the Refuge was closed to visitors due to lion activity.

Fortunately, this area is on the east side of the rio and does not prevent visitors from touring the site. Hiking trails to the east however are now off limits. This east side of the river is also now home to 80 to 100 elk, a herd that has increased in size in recent years. By the end of February, the cranes have all departed for their northbound staging areas.

The Sandhill Crane that winters here is one of three migrating species of Sandhill Crane and the most numerous of all cranes - the Greater Sandhill Crane, (Grus canadensis rowani). There are five distinct populations of this species of prehistoric bird in the United States. The Bosque del Apache group is part of what is termed the “Rocky Mountain Population.”

Invasive Species: No part of the United States has been immune to invasive species. The riparian areas of the Southwest have been invaded by the exotic Salt Cedar (Tamarix family). Originally brought into the country for erosion control it has taken over the edges of many streams and waterways, crowding out native vegetation. The Refuge has been removing large quantities of it in the existing permanent marshes. The plant does have some charms - the stems, which turn a dark orange in winter have found their way into inlay panels in doors for cabinetry and other decorative uses.

Visiting: The Refuge is open all year, with bird activity much less in the summer months. It is 85 miles south of Albuquerque and only 2 miles off I-25.