Thank for your continued support and love for the refuge and the birds and wildlife who depend on it for their survival.

Please join us for the 21st Annual Festival of the Cranes November Nov 18-23, 2008. The City of Socorro, New Mexico, the Bosque del Apache NWR and the Friends of the Bosque del Apache NWR invite you to share in the celebration of the return of the sandhill cranes!

The Festival of the Cranes is one of the top Birding Festivals in the country, offering a tremendous array of workshops, lectures and events, and it is located at one of the premier birding destinations. It is a great time to visit this spectacular Refuge, and we look forward to your visit! There are four major components to the Festival: tours, lectures, exhibits and the Refuge.

Please check back here for all news, the schedule of events and everything about for our exciting 21st Anniversary Festival of the Cranes 2008. Along with our usual full offerings of lectures, workshops, tours and great keynote speakers, we will also host our popular Exhibitor tent and Wildlife Art tent again this year, too

Tours:
Tours are offered to introduce you to areas and topics not commonly available during the year. Birders will be out from dawn to dusk on and off of the Bosque. There is even a Birding Tour on Elephant Butte Lake. The management of local National Wildlife Refuges will conduct groups and explain in detail the operation of each refuge. During the Historic Socorro Open House photo galleries and historic buildings will be open for your inspection. New Mexico Tech and the Scientific community will also have displays and tours.

Caution to birders. Read the descriptions carefully - not all tours are for birding.

Lectures:
Lectures are offered for a variety of wildlife related subjects. Most lectures are given at the Macey Center in Socorro. Some lectures are workshops in photography, bird identification and wildlife painting. Workshops are conducted in the field or special facilities.

Exhibits:
Fro several special days, the main Promenade at the Refuge will be filled with exhibits and demonstrations. This is where you will see animals up close, very close. Animal rescue groups will display mammals and birds along the perimeter of the Promenade. If you ever wanted a full head photo of a Flammulated Owl, this may be your only opportunity.

The Art tent and the Exhibitor tent are both special treats because many local and nationally known artists and artisans have booths with paintings and photographs for sale; and a variety of non-profits and rescue organizations and others have fun and informative exhibits. In the Visitor Center, you will find educational activities as well as items for sale.

The Artist Entry form and instructions for the 2008 Festival of the Cranes Wildlife Art Show may be obtained by clicking here. You will need to download the pdf file and follow the instructions to enter. Thank you!

The Bosque del Apache NWR:
We are here to celebrate the return of the Cranes so don't miss them. The Fly-Out in the morning and the Fly-In in the evening are memorable events. You are free to experience this on your own or you may join one of the tours listed in this brochure.

Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge
In the 1930s, the Rocky Mountain population of greater sandhill cranes was severely declining. Habitat loss in wintering and breeding areas, land use changes and other factors had taken their toll on the population. In 1941, fewer than 20 sandhills wintered on Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge (NWR).

Since 1939, refuge staff, volunteers, cooperators, and other agencies have worked to restore wintering habitat along the Rio Grande for the cranes. Intensive management on the refuge, including moist soil management (growing natural wetland foods), cooperative agriculture, and crop manipulation have helped the population recover dramatically. Bosque del Apache NWR hosts about three-quarters of the Rocky Mountain sandhill crane population each winter, totaling up to as many as 15,000 cranes.

In addition to the sandhill cranes, the refuge is also a wintering stopover or home for snow geese, Ross' geese, pintails, shovelers, mallards, and a host of other waterfowl. The spectacular wildlife viewing opportunities contribute to the fact that Bosque del Apache NWR is consistently recognized as one of the top birding areas in the country. Enjoy our trails, observation decks, and tour loop during your Festival visit.

Bosque del Apache NWR offers year-round wildlife viewing. Spring brings shorebirds and neotropical migrants through the valley and is the breeding and nesting season for our resident birds. Although dependent on seasonal rains, there may be spectacular wildflower viewing along the Chupadera and Canyon trails in spring. In the summer, hummingbirds swarm outside the Visitor Center and it is common to see young coots, pheasants, Gambel's quail, geese, and others. Year-round residents include mule deer, elk, coyotes, porcupines, turtles turkeys and roadrunners.

This is our 2ist year of celebrating the return of the sandhill cranes and our 68th year of managing the refuge for the benefit of wildlife and their habitat.

Bosque del Apache NWR is open daily from one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset. There is a $3.00 per vehicle entrance fee for the tour loop.

The Friends of the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge

Since 1994, the Friends of the Bosque del Apache NWR (Friends) have supported the biological, educational, and research activities of the Bosque del Apache NWR. The Friends operate the Bosque Nature Store in the Visitor Center and proceeds benefit various refuge programs - from supporting pintail research to funding special events.

Friends volunteers promote Refuge and Friends events, conduct workshops and programs, provide labor for special projects, and support the Refuge in thousands of ways each year. They provide funding for local schools to visit the refuge and have completed a successful campaign to build an educational wing to the Visitor Center. We are very grateful to those who made the Christina Ann Lannan Education Annex a reality: The Lannan Foundation, Thaw Charitable Trust, Messengers of Healing Winds, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Foundation, and The Friends of the Bosque. of The Friends are ardent financial supporters of the Festival of the Cranes.

Friends of the Bosque has conducted a successful drive to purchase Chupadera Peak and add it to the Refuge. Money contributed to the Deb Davies Memorial Fund was targeted for this effort. Please read more about this 140 acre tract which provides a buffer zone for the peak and the adjoining Chupadera Wilderness.

We are also proud to have John Bertrand volunteering on behalf of the Friends! He is the 2008 National Volunteer of the Year, a National Award presented by the National Wildlife Refuge Association and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. This is a tremendous honor.

The Friends also act as advocates with media, elected officials, and others. They were recently successful in securing appropriations to purchase a new D8 dozer for the refuge. The dozer is an integral part of the refuge's salt cedar reduction program and will be used to create more habitat for the cranes, geese, and other creatures who depend on the refuge.

Friends of The Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge P.O. Box 340 San Antonio, New Mexico 87832 Contact Us