THE BEST TIME OF YEAR TO VISIT BOSQUE DEL APACHE IS IN THE WINTER WHEN THOUSANDS OF CRANES ADD WHITE TO A LANDSCAPE THAT DOESN'T SEE MUCH SNOW THIS TIME OF YEAR.

HI.

HEY LAURA, WELCOME TO BOSQUE DEL APACHE.

KEVIN COBBLE IS MANAGER OF THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE.

WELCOME TO OUR VISITORS CENTER.

THIS TIME OF YEAR, WHO IS COMING TO VISIT?

WE GET PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE U.S. AND WORLD.

THIS PLACE IS WORLD RENOWNED FOR BIRDS IN THE WINTERTIME.

VISITORS CAN TRAVEL ALONG TWO LOOPS THAT COVER 12 MILES AND OFFERS SPOTS TO STOP, TAKE PICTURES AND WAIT FOR WILDLIFE.

THE SOUTH LOOP IS MORE MARSH TYPE HABITAT.

THE NORTH LOOP IS WHERE WE HAVE THE FARM AND SO THAT TENDS TO BE WHERE MOST PEOPLE GO.

THEY LIKE THE FARM BECAUSE WHEN WE PROVIDE CORN FOR THE CRANES AND IN THE REAL COLD PARTS OF THE WINTER, THEY'LL BE UP IN THE CORN FEEDING HEAVILY.

SO, THAT IS WHERE MOST PEOPLE LIKE TO SEE THE LARGE CONCENTRATIONS.

YOU CAN SEE 4 OR 5,000 BIRDS IN ONE PLACE.

THE GREATER SANDHILL CRANES SPEND SUMMERS AND HAVE THEIR YOUNG UP AROUND THE YELLOWSTONE AREA IN IDAHO, WYOMING.

MOST OF THEM STOP HERE IN THE MIDDLE RIO GRANDE VALLEY AND SO WE PROVIDE THAT RESTING HABITAT AND FOOD TO GET THEM THROUGH THE WINTER IN GOOD SHAPE FOR THE NEXT YEAR.

THE REFUGE HAS A FARM THAT GROWS CORN TO FEED THE BIRDS.

THAT IS TO KEEP THE BIRDS FROM TRAVELING OUTSIDE THE REFUGE AND FEEDING ON LOCAL CROPS ON PRIVATE LAND.

COBBLE SAYS THE DESIGN OF THE PONDS WHERE GEESE AND CRANES GATHER TO FEED IS ALSO INTENTIONAL.

WE TRY TO MANIPULATE WETLANDS TO SIMULATE WHAT THE RIO GRANDE USED TO DO.

YOU WOULD GET A BIG FLOOD OF WATER IN THE SPRING WHEN THE SNOW MELT CAME AND THE RIVER WOULD CHANGE CHANNELS AND SCOUR AREAS ALONG HERE AND THEN DROP DOWN AND THEN YOU WOULD GET A LOT OF NATIVE PLANTS GROWING UP IN THE WET AREA.

THEN YOU GET THE MONSOONS COME IN AND REFLOOD A LOT OF THOSE AREAS, TO KEEP THEM WET, AND THEN DRY OUT OR SOME OF THEM WOULD STAY WET INTO THE FALL.

SO, SINCE WE HAVE DAMS ON THE RIVER AND IT DOESN'T ACT THAT WAY ANYMORE, WHEN WE COME IN AND WE DO IT MECHANICALLY, WITH TRACTORS AND DISKS AND PLOWS AND WE'LL DISTURB IT IN THE SPRING OR FALL AND THEN WE MANAGE THE WATER TO FLOOD IT AND DRAIN IT SLOWLY, TO GET THE RIGHT SUITE OF PLANTS TO COME UP.

THEN IN THE FALL, WE HAVE ALL THE NATIVE VEGETATION.

BETWEEN OUR CORN CROP AND THEN WHAT WE GROW HERE, WE PROVIDE A PRETTY COMPLETE DIET FOR ALL THE BIRDS.

SO WHAT WE HAVE OVER HERE IS ABOUT 30 TO 40,000 SNOW GEESE ON ONE OF THE WETLAND UNITS.

WHEN THEY ARE SITTING LIKE THIS AND A BALD EAGLE FLIES OVER, THE WHOLE 30,000 OF THEM GET UP AND FLY AROUND LIKE A TORNADO.

THERE THEY GO, THERE IS A FEW OF THEM ANYWAY.

[BIRDS HONKING] [WINGS BEATING] YOU SEE THE EAGLE RIGHT THERE?

ALONG WITH ENSURING THE BIRDS HAVE ENOUGH TO EAT, REFUGE MANAGERS ARE HELPING ADAPT THE LANDSCAPE TO A WARMING CLIMATE.

THEY ARE ALREADY SEEING IMPACTS OF HIGHER TEMPERATURES IN THE WEST.

LAST YEAR, A LOT OF THE GEESE, THEY NEVER LEFT MONTANA BECAUSE MONTANA DIDN'T GET COLD ENOUGH AND FREEZE OVER AND PUSH THEM DOWN HERE, SO SOME OF THE BIRDS NOW ARE STOPPING IN COLORADO SPENDING THE WINTER IN COLORADO AND SPENDING THE WINTER IN COLORADO AND HISTORICALLY THEY NEVER USED TO DO THAT.

THE REFUGE IS AN IMPORTANT SOURCE OF ECONOMIC ACTIVITY FOR THE MOSTLY RURAL SOCORRO AND SIERRA COUNTY.

ABOUT 25 PEOPLE ARE EMPLOYED THERE RIGHT NOW AND EACH YEAR THOUSANDS OF VISITORS ATTEND THE FESTIVAL OF THE CRANES AND THE REFUGE ESTIMATES THAT EVENT CONTRIBUTES ABOUT TWO MILLION INTO THE LOCAL ECONOMY.

BUT COBBLE SAYS IT IS DIFFICULT TO PUT A PRICE TAG ON THE VALUE OF THE REFUGE.

THERE IS A VALUE WE DON'T UNDERSTAND YET, AND WE MAY NEVER UNDERSTAND, BUT THERE IS ALSO A LOT OF PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, ONCE AGAIN, THERE IS PEOPLE THAT CAN DO WITHOUT WILDLIFE AND THOSE THAT CAN'T AND THERE IS AN AWFUL LOT OF PEOPLE THAT COULDN'T DO WITHOUT.

IT IS SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE EVOLVED WITH AND TO ME IT IS -- THE SOUND OF A CRANE IS SUCH AN ANCIENT CALLING, YOU KNOW.

I THINK WE SHOULD PRESERVE THAT FOREVER FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.

FOR NEW MEXICO INFOCUS, AND OUR LAND, I AM LAURA PASKUS.