Research Guides: Silent Spring: Rio Bosque Management Plan

Assignment

You will develop a biological management plan for the Rio Bosque Wetlands Park, a 372 acre park along the Rio Grande floodplain corridor. Focus on one aspect of the bosque that interests you.

1) Air and water pollution
2) Habitat loss
3) Over-population
4) Climate change
5) Invasive species
6) Exploitation of resources

Within your management plan, include and consider the following factors: water resource management, aquatic flora, terrestrial flora, wetland zones for birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, fish, and invertebrates, monitoring soil quality, recreation use vs refuge restoration, etc. Additionally, demonstrate how your plan will benefit Rio Bosque Wetlands Park in the next two decades.

Rio Bosque Wetlands Park Biological Management Plan
The plan begins with a description of the historic conditions of the Rio Grande floodplain, so that we have an idea of what we are ‘trying to restore to’. Then the current conditions of the area are described, which have resulted from the management of the river for irrigation and flood control. Next, the planned future condition for the park is presented, along with six specific goals for accomplishing the mission of the park. The final section, which makes up the bulk of the management plan, presents the detailed management recommendations for attaining each of those six goals.

History of the Rio Bosque 1973-present