Volunteer conservation project – Saturday, April 28

Help build Beaver Dam Analogs (BDAs) on the Rio Cebolla

When: 9:00 AM, Saturday, April 28, 2018

Where: Rio Cebolla inside the lower Jumping Mouse exclosure, about two miles north from Porter’s Landing on FR 376.

What: BDAs are a line of posts that are driven across a stream into the streambed. When the posts are woven with recently cut willow branches, the structure functions similar to a beaver dam by slowing the water down, spreading it out, and causing sediment to drop to the streambed. The first BDAs were constructed with volunteer help on the Cebolla in October 2017. In their first five months, they are already functioning as designed by slowing down water flow, trapping sediment, and increasing the bank area wetted by the stream. Plans are to build about 28 more BDAs up the Cebolla by the end of May.

Volunteer Work: The posts will have already been driven by a Forest Service crew. Our work will be to weave the willow branches to complete the structures. See the photo below.

RSVP: New Mexico Trout is teaming with Trout Unlimited on this project. Lunch on April 28th will be provided by TU for those who RSVP to Art Vollmer (fish4rgct@gmail.com) by 5:00PM Wednesday, April 25th. NM Trout will provide lunches for the next scheduled BDA project on May 12th.

RSVP to Art Vollmer (fish4rgct@gmail.com) by 5:00PM Wednesday, April 25th.

Directions: Take I25 north to Bernalillo, left exit on Highway 550 to San Ysidro, right on Highway 4 through village of Canon, left on State Road 485 about a mile past the high school.  Continue on SR 485, which becomes FR 376, for about another 14 miles. Total distance from the Big I is about 70 miles, driving time a little over an hour.