BEFORE THE RIO GRANDE WAS TAMED WITH DAMS AND DIVERSIONS, IT MOVED BACK AND FORTH ACROSS THIS FLOODPLAIN, SCOURING THE VALLEY AND SLINGING ITS SILTY WATER.

AT SOME PLACES IN ALBUQUERQUE IT WAS FIVE MILES WIDE.

THEN, EARLY LAST CENTURY, WE STARTED SQUEEZING THE RIO GRANDE INTO A MORE AND MORE NARROW CHANNEL.

WE WANTED MORE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR FARMING, AND WE STARTED BUILDING THOUSANDS OF HOMES IN THE FLOODPLAINS.

AND IN MANY WAYS, WE STOPPED LETTING THE RIO GRANDE ACT LIKE THE GRAND RIVER IT WAS.

DECADES AGO, THERE WAS RECOMMENDATIONS TO CHANNELIZE THE RIVER.

AT THE TIME WE THOUGHT THAT WAS THE BEST APPROACH, BUT, NOW AS TIME PROGRESSES, LIKE ALL HISTORY, WE LEARNED A BETTER APPROACH.

TRYING TO WORK WITHIN THE RIVER PROCESSES.

SHE IS AN ENGINEER WITH THE U.S. BUREAU OF RECLAMATION.

IN RECENT DECADES, WATER MANAGERS HAVE HAD TO COMPLY WITH FEDERAL ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT AND MAKE SURE THEIR OPERATIONS DON'T CAUSE RARE SPECIES LIKE THE SOUTHWESTERN WILLOW FLY CATCHER AND THE RIO GRANDE SILVERY MINNOW TO BECOME EXTINCT.

AGENCIES LIKE RECLAMATION HAVE SPENT MILLIONS OF DOLLARS UP AND DOWN THE VALLEY TRYING TO TURN BACK THE CLOCK AND MIMIC THE NATURAL RIVER SYSTEM.

THE RIVER USED TO HAVE SIDE CHANNELS LIKE THIS QUITE A BIT AND WHAT THE SIDE CHANNEL OFFERS IS HABITAT FOR THE SILVERY MINNOW.

SO THE MINNOW COMES IN HERE AND IS ABLE TO FIND THE SLOWER WATER AND IT ALSO HELPS THEM PROPAGATE.

SO, THEY'LL SPAWN IN THESE AREAS AND THEN THEY BECOME ADULTS HERE AND IT PROVIDES AN AREA FOR THE MINNOW, BUT IT ALSO BENEFITS THE RIPARIAN VEGETATION.

IN OTHER PLACES THERE ARE PROJECTS TO REMOVE NONNATIVE TREES LIKE TAMARISK AND PLANT NATIVE TREES.

IN SOME PLACES AGENCIES LOWER THE BANKS OF THE RIVER TO HELP CONNECT IT WITH ITS HISTORIC FLOODPLAIN.

BIOLOGISTS ARE OUT CHECKING THE SIDE CHANNELS AND RESTORATION PROJECTS TO SEE WHERE SILVERY MINNOW ARE AND HOW POPULATIONS ARE DOING.

GOT A COUPLE OF THEM.

YOU DID GET SOME?

YEAH.

LAST YEAR AS THE RIVER DRIED SOUTH OF ALBUQUERQUE, MOST OF THESE RESTORATION SITES DIDN'T GET ANY OF THE MUCH NEEDED WATER BUT THIS YEAR IS A DIFFERENT STORY.

YEARS LIKE THIS, WHERE WE HAVE REALLY GOOD SNOW MELT, LIKE THIS YEAR WE'RE RUNNING 106% OF AVERAGE, ARE REALLY IMPORTANT FOR THE RIVER.

IT IS KIND OF LIKE A RESETTING TIME.

IT BENEFITS VEGETATION, THE GROUNDWATER, THE AQUATIC SPECIES, SILVERY MINNOW AND ALSO THE BIRDS LIKE THE FLY CATCHER AND YELLOW COOCOO, WHO DEPEND ON FLOWS LIKE THIS.

SO IT IS REALLY IMPORTANT JUST FOR THE OVERALL ECOSYSTEM HEALTH.

CHRIS TORREZ, WITH BUREAU OF RECLAMATION WAS THE CONSTRUCTION SUPERVISOR ON A HABITAT RESTORATION PROJECT ON THE RIO GRANDE NEAR ESCONDIDO.

THIS HELPS MINNOWS GET OUT OF THE HIGH FLOWS OF THE RIVER CHANNEL AND FIND SLOWER WATERS WHERE EGGS AND YOUNG FISH AREN'T SWEPT AWAY.

I LOVE TO BUILD A PROJECT AND SEE IT FUNCTION PERFECTLY.

TO HAVE THAT SOMETHING TANGIBLE THAT YOU CAN GO HOME AND SAY, YOU KNOW, MY CREW BUILT THAT AND I CAN COME HOME AND BRING MY FAMILY OUT HERE AND SEE THIS IS THEIR PUBLIC LAND AND WE BUILT THIS AND IT IS WORKING CORRECTLY.

AND SEE IN YEARS TO COME THAT IT IS STILL WORKING THE WAY IT IS SUPPOSED TO.

WORK LIKE THIS COMES DIRECTLY OUT OF COMPLIANCE WITH THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT, BUT ENGINEERS, BIOLOGISTS EVERYONE IS LEARNING MORE ABOUT WHAT WORKS AND WHAT DOESN'T WHEN IT COMES TO TRYING TO RESTORE HABITAT AND A MORE NATURAL RIVER SYSTEM.

ENGINEERS WILL DESIGN A CERTAIN CUT AND EVERYTHING IS VERY ANGULAR AND IS IN 90 TO ONE ANGLES AND WE TRY TO INCORPORATE THAT AND MAKE IT MORE NATURAL, LAY SOME OF THESE BANKS BACK, SAVE SOME OF THE PLANTS WHERE WE CAN, RELOCATE THE PLANTS THAT HAVE TO COME OUT UP ON TO THE BANK AND REALLY TAKE SOME PRIDE IN IT, YOU KNOW, AND TURN IT KIND OF INTO AN ART SO YOU CAN TURN AROUND AND SAY, THIS PLANT WAS DEDICATED OR WAS GOING TO COME UP AND WE POPPED THAT SUCKER OUT AND PUT IT IN THE GROUND OVER HERE AND IT TOOK.

SO IT IS THERE FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS.

AS THE CLIMATE CONTINUES TO WARM, THERE WILL STILL BE WET YEARS AND DRY YEARS AND ALONG THE WAY, HOPEFULLY WE'LL LEARN HOW TO WORK BETTER WITH THE WATER WE HAVE, WHILE REMEMBERING TO LET THE RIO GRANDE STILL BE A RIVER.

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