>> Laura: THIS SPRING, THE RIO GRANDE IS RIPPING ALONG, FLUSH WITH SNOWMELT AND BOOSTED BY SPRING RAINS.

THAT IS GOOD NEWS FOR ECOSYSTEMS ALONG THE RIVER THAT HAVE BEEN GASPING FOR WATER THE PAST FEW YEARS.

ONE OF THOSE PLACES RIGHT HERE IN ALBUQUERQUE IS THE SAN ANTONIO OXBOW, A SPECIAL PLACE ALONG THE WEST SIDE OF THE RIO GRANDE THAT HASN'T FLOODED IN A FEW YEARS.

RECENTLY, THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO'S WES NOE TOOK US THERE TO EXPLAIN ITS HISTORY AND IMPORTANCE.

>> Noe: SO WE'RE HERE IN ALBUQUERQUE JUST ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE RIVER FROM THE RIO GRANDE NATURE CENTER.

WE ARE HERE AT THE SAN ANTONIO OXBOW WETLANDS, STANDING ON THE OVERLOOK BLUFF, AND IT IS CENTRALLY LOCATED HERE IN ALBUQUERQUE.

WITH THE OXBOW WETLANDS, THE NATURE CENTER, AND THE CANDELARIA FARMS, IT CREATES THIS NATURE COMPLEX THAT'S PART OF A GREATER KIND OF NATURE COMPLEXES HERE IN ALBUQUERQUE THAT ARE IMPORTANT FOR MIGRATORY BIRDS.

SO AS THE MIDDLE RIO GRANDE PROJECT WAS IMPLEMENTED AND THE RIVER WAS CHANNELIZED HERE AT THIS LOCATION, THE RIVER ACTUALLY SHIFTED WEST AND CAUSED A LOT OF EROSION ON THE BLUFF THAT WE'RE STANDING ON.

BECAUSE OF THAT EROSION, THEY INSTALLED THE JETTY-JACKS.

THEY WERE USED TO SLOW DOWN THE RIVER, AND IN A SIMILAR WAY AS THE OXBOW WAS FORMED, THE JETTY-JACKS THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE ENTIRE MIDDLE RIO GRANDE SLOWED DOWN THE RIVER ALLOWING THE SEDIMENT TO FALL OUT, THUS RAISING THE RIVER BED AND SHIFTING THE CHANNEL BACK TO THE MAIN COURSE THAT WE SEE IT TODAY.

IT'S THE LAST REMAINING MARSH WETLAND HERE IN ALBUQUERQUE, AND NOT ONLY IS IT THE LAST REMAINING MARSH WETLAND, BUT IT'S ALSO REALLY, REALLY, REALLY BIG.

AND SO THAT CREATES THIS UNIQUE HABITAT THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR AQUATIC VEGETATION THAT'S SPECIFIC TO WETLANDS, MICRO AND MACRO INVERTEBRATES LIVING IN THE WATER AND LIVING ON THE LAND, TURTLES, LIZARDS, YOUR MAMMALS, AND ESPECIALLY BIRDS.

PARTICULARLY MIGRATORY BIRDS ARE ATTRACTED TO WETLANDS.

BUT I'VE GOT TO SAY, THE COOLEST THING IS BEING HERE AT ESPECIALLY HOURS LIKE THIS, IN THE MORNING AND AT NIGHT, BECAUSE THE AMBIANCE IS JUST SO MUCH DIFFERENT, AND THAT IS ACTUALLY WHEN YOU GET TO SEE ALL THIS NATURE.

¶¶ >> Noe: SO IN THE PAST TWO YEARS, IN 2021 AND IN 2022, THE RIVER DRIED, AND BECAUSE OF THAT THE OXBOW ALSO DRIED.

BUT WE'VE BEEN SEEING REALLY, REALLY HIGH FLOWS THIS YEAR, AND NOW THE OXBOW WETLAND IS WET.

AND OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS WHEN IT WAS DRY, THERE WAS SOME SPORADIC WETNESS AS SEDIMENT PLUGS WERE REMOVED AND BEAVERS WERE MANAGED, BUT IT'S REALLY, REALLY COOL TO SEE THE WETLAND IS AS WET AS IT IS BECAUSE THE RIVERS ARE SO FULL.

AND IT REALLY JUST GOES TO SHOW THAT THERE IS CONNECTIVITY IN OUR SURFACE WATER AND IN OUR GROUNDWATER, TOO.