In Southeast El Paso, there is a rare example of a natural wetland ecosystem that once existed abundantly along the Rio Grande. Large birds, ducks and sometimes even a beaver can be seen from the park trails. Located parallel to the Rio Grande next to the US-Mexico border, the Rio Bosque Wetlands Park is a long-term ecological restoration project with a mission to return the 372-acre park to its original state.
The park, managed by the University of Texas at El Paso’s (UTEP) Center for Environmental Resource Management (CERM), provides a space for animal and plant species whose habitat had been disturbed when the Rio Grande was channelized in the 1930s.
Through a collaborative effort, beginning in the 1970s, the City of El Paso, UTEP’s CERM, utility and ecological organizations, the landscape has steadily been reestablished as a flourishing ecosystem, with some areas of the park improving faster than others.
Today, the park regularly offers tours, events and community workdays to educate visitors and provide them with an opportunity to connect with nature.
From Sept. 12 to Sept. 20, the park celebrated Latino Conservation Week, a week long initiative encouraging Latino communities to get involved in natural resources and parks near them, by hosting introduction to the bosque and birding tours, a loteria event and a hands-on cleanup project where visitors could mitigate invasive species with park officials.
Park manager Sergio Samaniego and his team plan events that encourage the public to enjoy the beauty and quiet of natural wetland that is unique in a desert environment.
“Hopefully they also fall in love with the outdoors, because it’s really relaxing,” Samaniego said. You see stuff that you typically don’t see around in the city because we’re so out in nature.”
The Rio Bosque’s nutrient rich environment attracts hundreds of species of birds a year and the parks trails buzz with insects, lizards and flowing canals. The diverse landscape is a change of scenery that cannot be found anywhere else in El Paso, making it a popular space for hikers and photographers to visit.
“Especially at the Rio Bosque, a lot of people that visit the park don’t know that they have this resource for them in their backyards,” Samaniego said. “Once they discover it they become very attached to the project and they become repeat visitors.”
Jabenel Muniz comes to the Rio Bosque park to run. They believe the open trails, fresh air and picturesque views create an experience that is different than other trails in the city.
“Come over here to run. It’s really big, and I don’t think you can get lost,” Muniz said. “You can go in circles or even, like, more straight so that’s cool. You can just keep running.”
Muniz and other guests of the Rio Bosque visit the park to view because of its unique animals and landscape. Latino Conservation Week in the wetlands is an avenue for individuals to become aware of the preserved environments that are hidden in their neighborhood.
The Rio Bosque Wetlands Park is open to the public every day of the week from dusk till dawn. The park visitor center provides trail and program information, and organizations like the Friends of the Rio Bosque work in tandem with UTEP’s CERM to advocate for the continual preservation of the Rio Bosque and to engage and educate the public about the wetlands.
More information on how to get involved can be found on the Friends of the Rio Bosques Instagram or on the Rio Bosque Wetlands Park website.
