When the Town of Red River and the state of New Mexico held a press conference at the Conference Center in early January 2014, a ripple went through the community, as though someone had skipped a rock across the surface of the river.
Representatives from local businesses – including guided fishing tour companies and shops that provide fishing equipment, the US Forest Service, NM State Forestry, NM Game & Fish, Mayor Garcia from Questa, and Red River residents interested in environmental, social and economic ramifications for the town – attended to learn as much as possible about the vital project which will have dramatic long-term effects on the high country community.
Red River Mayor Linda Calhoun expressed heartfelt gratitude to the state and to NM Governor Susan Martinez for funding a $288,000 restoration project on the town’s west side.
Cabinet Secretary of the New Mexico Environment Department, Ryan Flynn, announced the grant award and encouraged Red River to keep submitting new projects for consideration and necessary funding.
“We need more shovel-ready projects like this,” Flynn said, indicating that his Boss, the Governor, has made it a priority through her River Stewards Initiative to make sure our water conservation efforts focus on sustainability for the future.
The actual river restoration work – from High Cost Trail to Inferno Trail on the west side of town – began in late February when the ground had thawed enough to permit work and, with the exception of some planting of native trees and bushes, and some landscaping with picnic tables and interpretive signs, the project was completed in mid-April.
In fact, the rock placement and brush clearing required only nine days, a remarkably short time for such extensive work by Andamo Sanchez and his crew.
The restoration was designed by Chris Philips, owner and Senior Scientist of Riverbend Engineering LLC, which supplied construction oversight for the town. His approach is simple: to create sustainable solutions that match nature’s own work as nearly as possible.
Philips and Riverbend has been actively involved in the Red River Watershed and with the Town of Red River for over a decade, originally focusing on a restoration project located by the Conference Center.
While that project was never realized, Philips comments “It’s fair to say that the town would like to accomplish something behind the town’s Woerndle Park, to get funding and approval for that.”
The first funding and approval for a Red River restoration occurred at the Young Ranch subdivision several years ago and Philips was involved in what he terms a successful project.
He is very excited about the Red River Anglers Park, as it has been tentatively named.
“Our goal is to improve fish habitat in the river. In order to do that, we work with the fact that the river is wide and shallow, so we want to regrade the bottom of the river channel so that it’s deeper in some places and narrower overall.
“That’s because in the dog days of summer there’s just not that much water in the river. Deeper water is better for fish. It will hold more fish and it also keeps the water cooler.
“There are some eroding stream banks which we have stabilized with a combination of large boulders and transplanted vegetation, a mixture of shrubs including buffalo berry and woods rose, species that are adaptive for the elevation and that will produce berries to attract birds and other browsing wildlife!”
Jeff Fagan, owner of Fagan Guided Fly Fishing, based in Red River, has watched with interest and has put on the waders for a least one stream test.
“This is going to be a real plus for the town and for Northern New Mexico.