What's New at Rio Bosque
Detour Alert
Starting Monday, March 9, and continuing for up to four months, Pan American Drive will be closed in the vicinity of Winn Road for construction related to El Paso Water's development of the Riverside International Industrial Center. Two detours will be available to provide continued access to the water-treatment plants and to Rio Bosque Wetlands Park. You can view them here.
Water Woes
Water deliveries to the park from the Roberto Bustamante Wastewater Treatment Plant ended 25 January. Our wells are currently our sole water source. Both wetland cells are dry, as is 75% of the old river channel. We are hopeful deliveries from the Bustamante Plant can resume in May. (In the photo, water flows over a beaver dam on 29 April 2025.)You can learn more about the park's water sources here.
Another New Mural!
On April 23 and 25, 2025, the ART+BIO Collaborative returned to Rio Bosque and painted additional striking science murals on the walls of the park's visitor center. The new work features sand prickly pear (Opuntia arenaria) along the base of the building and five park birds of prey soaring across the upper walls. Now in the works: a pamphlet that will give park visitors additional insight into the murals.
Our Resident Beaver
Our resident beaver has now been present for over 7 years. When you visit Rio Bosque, look for its multiple dams along the upstream half of the old river channel that winds through the park.
An Invaluable Buffer
The corridor of undeveloped open space east of the park on the other side of the Riverside Canal provides an invaluable buffer for the park. El Paso Water is ensuring that corridor will be protected by dedicating it for a carbon-sequestration project, where the focus will be on expanding native plant life to capture and store carbon as part of El Paso's Priority Climate Action Plan. El Paso Water is currently removing exotic saltcedar from within this area, to be followed by plantings of native cottonwoods and willows.
Rio Bosque Newsletter
The Rio Bosque newsletter keeps readers abreast of current happenings at the park. The latest issue reports on recent water conditions, recent activities of our resident beaver, a difficult 2025 nesting season for a number of birds at the park, the accomplishments of our summer intern, and profiles of the park's hardworking staff.
Birds of the Bosque
Rio Bosque is a wildlife refuge that has hosted 269 different bird species. Click here to learn more about noteworthy birds spotted this last month.
Become a Friend of the Rio Bosque
The Friends of the Rio Bosque is a volunteer-support group that is active in all aspects of the park such as:
- Education Programs
- Outreach
- Ecosystem Monitoring
- Fundraising
- Faunal Monitoring
Learn more about becoming a friend here.
Community
Rio Bosque is a place where El Pasoans go to relax, reconnect with nature, and learn about our local natural resources.
The Park staff hosts:
- Community work days, where volunteers can help maintain trails, natural communities, and water flow
- Birding tours where participants can see some of the 269 bird species that have been identified in the Park
Learn more
