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In this Issue
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Message from Our
President
Upcoming Events &
Deadlines
Membership Information
Refuge Manager's Note
Refuge Open Houses
Photo Contests
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Volunteer Opportunities
Committee Updates
Federal Lands Access
Program
Great Backyard Bird Count
Junior Duck Stamp
Program
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Birds of a Feather
Volunteer Opportunity
Bosque Education Guide
Workshop
Nature's Notebook
Wildlife Notes
Friends Promotional Items
Membership Brochure
Upcoming Events & Deadlines
Feb. 25
Crawford Symposium
Friends Outreach Booth*
4-7pm, Bosque School
Mar. 3
Alb. City Council to vote urging USFWS to complete refuge
land acquisition. Friends presence requested!
5pm, One Civic Plaza
Apr. 8
Friends Board Meeting
6-8pm, Flying Star
Apr. 11-13
New Mexico State Envirothon
Apr. 26
Girl Scout Spring Council-wide Refuge Event
Details TBA!
Mar. 9
Giving Back Sunday Fundraising Event
12-9pm, B2B Bistronomy
May 2
Mountain View Elementary School Field Day at Refuge*
Mar. 11
Friends Board Meeting
6-8pm, Flying Star
May 3
Refuge Open House*
9am-12pm
Mar. 15
Junior Duck Stamp Program submission deadline
May 8
Native Fish in the Classroom fish release* Details TBA
Mar. 15
Refuge Open House*
9am-12pm
May 10
Soaring the South Valley Festival*
Durand Open Space
Mar. 29
Bosque Education Guide Training, 8:30-4:30pm
Mountain View Community Center
May 13
Friends Board Meeting
6-8pm, Flying Star
Apr. 5
Refuge Open House*
9am-12pm
Apr. 6-11
Audubon Birds of a Feather training Contact Teresa Skiba,
(505) 803-7719 for info or to volunteer
*volunteers needed, please email Jennifer Owen-White or
call her at (505) 933-2708, or contact the Events
Committee Chair, Diane Reese.
Message from Our President
Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge (VDONWR), as the first urban
wildlife refuge in the Southwest, has the privilege and responsibility to
serve as an example for the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s Urban Refuge
Initiative. A goal of this initiative is to engage urban communities by
making refuges more accessible and providing opportunities for
participation in wildlife recreation and education close to home. As the
support group for the Refuge, the Friends of VDONWR has been hard at
work growing our organization, supporting Refuge staff, and educating the
community about the exciting conservation, education, recreation,
economic, and quality of life benefits associated with our Urban Wildlife
Refuge.
Photo: Friends members Diane, Ken and Teri are talking to
as many people as they can at the Albuquerque Downtown
Growers Market.
We came together in 2011 to gather community support for the Refuge’s
establishment, but we count 2013 as our first “official” year. We were
approved as a 501(c)3, signed an agreement with USFWS, adopted
bylaws, created a logo and brochure, developed a mission statement and
formed committees.
Friends’ 2013 highlights include assisting with Senator Padilla’s Legislative Capital Outlay Effort for land acquisition, hosting a “May Day
Thank You” event for Refuge supporters, and conducting a Charter Member campaign and event. We helped out with National Public
Lands Day, providing lunch and information for participants, and registered attendees at the Valle de Oro Public Meeting. The Friends
also helped judge and provided the awards for the winners of the very first Valle de Oro NWR Photo Contest. We look forward to seeing
more great photos in the next photo contest!
Even though the Refuge is not officially open to the public, it is already proving to be an incredible asset to the community and is acting
as a catalyst for economic development. The Friends wrote letters and spoke in support of Bernalillo County’s application for a Federal
nd
Lands Access Program grant in order to get funding to revitalize and make safe 2 Street, the gateway to the Refuge. We also
managed a remarkable amount of community outreach last year, participating in many local events and hosting numerous student and
community organizations---everyone we speak with is so supportive and enthusiastic!
2014 is going to be even busier! In order to continue our outreach and education efforts, and assist in Refuge planning and program
development in the coming year, we need your support. Please join the Friends (if you haven’t already), volunteer at events, and serve
on a committee. Getting involved is a great way to have fun, make new friends, learn something new, and make a difference in your
community. We look forward to another exciting and productive year with your support!
- Teri Jillson
Thank you to all who attended our very first the Annual Meeting in January. Thanks also to US Foods who allowed us to use their beautiful meeting
facilities and provided delicious refreshments.
Five new Board members were elected and three were re-elected, bringing our number to “Lucky 13.” Please email us at [email protected] or
contact one of the following.
Friends Board & Officers:
Teri Jillson, President
Teresa D'Anza, Secretary
[email protected]
[email protected]
Kathy Caffrey, Vice-President &
Communications Committee Chair
Ken Reese, Treasurer
[email protected]
[email protected]
Directors at Large:
Mary Deschene, Grants Committee Chair
[email protected]
Debby Halterman
[email protected]
Jeff Klas
Alan Marks, Education Committee Chair
Ric Watson, Membership Committee Chair
[email protected]
[email protected]
Nathan Martinez, Bylaws Committee Chair
Angela West
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Marla Painter
Carol Kline, Fundraising Committee Chair
[email protected]
[email protected]
Refuge Manager's Note
It has been just nine months since I took the position as the very first refuge
manager of Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge and I can truly say it has
been the most exciting, demanding and rewarding experience of my
professional life. Starting a National Wildlife Refuge from the ground up,
not to mention one as unique and ground breaking as Valle de Oro NWR, is
an absolute dream come true. As I think of the great opportunity that lies
ahead, I hope you, as members of Friends of Valle de Oro, are equally
excited because this is nothing if not a community effort.
Photo: Refuge Manager, Jennifer Owen-White,
preparing for January's hugely successful Public
Meeting at the Mountain View Community Center.
Partnerships are the strong foundation on which we are building this great
Refuge and are what is keeping us moving forward. The number of groups
who came together for the land acquisition was just a taste of the
outpouring of support that would later come for the refuge development. It
seems that almost daily we are adding a new partner to the long list of
refuge cohorts. I’m not going to try to list all of our partners here because I
don’t want to take up the entire newsletter with the exhaustive list, I would
hate to leave someone out, and of course because we are constantly
adding new partners and a list would quickly become outdated. Needless to say, partnerships are the fuel on which the engine of Valle
de Oro NWR runs.
In order to keep this engine running strong, I encourage you as Friends members to be thinking about people and organizations who will
make good partners for the refuge. Do your part by getting a neighbor to join the Friends group, talking to your child’s teacher about
education opportunities at the refuge, wearing your Friends shirt proudly and using it as an opportunity to start a conversation about the
Refuge. Please continue to share with me and the Friends board information about outreach events we could be attending, and of course
don’t hesitate to give anyone my contact information if they would like to know more about the refuge or would like to become a partner.
Together we can keep this momentum going, bring new partners to the table, and most importantly create a refuge that serves the needs
of wildlife and people, while providing education and outreach opportunities that help create a new generation of conservationists. I’m so
excited when I think about what the future has in store for us and those amazing 570 acres, I hope you are too!
Proud to be your Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge Manager,
- Jennifer Owen-White
Refuge Open Houses
Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge will offer monthly open houses to allow the community to visit and experience the Refuge before
it officially opens to the public. All events are held from 9:00am to noon at the Valle de Oro NW, and are free for everyone.
Saturday, March 15 Topic: Acequia Culture
New Mexican’s, past and present, rely on water from the Rio Grande to grow our food and today is the first day of the irrigation
season. Learn more about how the acequia system works from both community members and the agencies that use and maintain it.
Saturday, April 5 Topic: Why Wind?
Think of spring in New Mexico and one of the first things that comes to mind is wind. Sometimes we can’t wait until the windy weather
is over, but join us today in a celebration of wind. Learn how wind grows plants and feeds animals, how scientists measure wind speed
and how to make and fly kites!
Saturday, May 3 Topic: Wildfire Preparedness
May third is National Wildfire Preparedness Day! Fire management staff from the US Fish and Wildlife Service will be on hand to teach
us more about what the community can do to protect our public and private lands.
Photo Contests
The first annual Valle de Oro NWR Photo Contest closed with several wonderful photographs from Friends
members, FWS staff, community members, and volunteers! 2013 winners were announced at the Friends
meeting in January in three categories: wildlife/plants,
landscapes, and people. The winning photo's will be displayed
on a travelling exhibit and are currently on exhibit at the Bosque
del Apache NWR! See below for details on the 2014 Photo
Contest!
Grand Prize: Marisa Rodriguez-McGill, USFWS Transportation Scholar
Valle de 'Color' - A Fall day at
Valle de Oro NWR produces
colorful contrasts, from the
blue feathers of the sandhill
cranes, to the burnt orange
leaves of the Bosque's
cottonwoods, to the purpleseeming Manzanos in the
distance.
First Prize Landscape Winner: Bill Rager, USFWS Budget Analyst
I thought the Roadrunner graphics on the
commuter train and the Sandhill Cranes in the field
would make a good statement about what the
Urban Refuge is all about. The setting sun
provided a light that highlighted the landscape
from the side and gave the picture depth.
Photo Contests
First Prize Wildlife Winner: Sue Roujansky, Friends of Valle de Oro NWR Member
I was out...for the National Public Lands day. While
attending a bird watch hike, several guys passed us
with something in their hands...it was a spotted towhee.
I followed them back to their booth...tagging the bird
prior to allowing one of the children watching to set it
free We got to see it close up which was a thrill for me
being a bird lover.
First Prize People Winner: Marisa Rodriguez-McGill
"There's No Better Time to Visit a National Wildlife
Refuge Than Today" - An Albuquerque man arrives
at National Public Lands Day ready to see wildlife
up close.
2014
Valle de
Oro NWR
Photo
Contest!
Committee Updates
-by Teri Jillson, Friends President
The Friends have been busy this past year and with the help of our hard-working committees, we have accomplished a
lot! The Friends and Refuge hosted many students and community organizations in 2013, including Mountain View
Elementary, South Valley Academy, Nex+Gen Academy, TrekWest, EE Capacity Consortium, Nature’s Notebook, and
Audubon just to name a few. These groups are exploring the impact of climate change and diminishing habitat,
brainstorming for the Refuge's future, gathering data for national programs, and learning about the importance of
conservation. Our Events Committee assists with these and other events, has a presence at the Downtown Growers Market
and other local venues, and helps with monthly Refuge Open Houses.
As education is one of the Refuge’s primary objectives, the Education Committee has been hard at work forming partnerships
with Albuquerque Public Schools for the inclusion of Refuge-related programs into their curriculum, Audubon New Mexico in
bringing the Birds of a Feather Program to South Valley Schools, and the Center of Southwest Culture to develop a “La
Carpa” science education program.
Our other committees have also been busy. In addition to publishing our newsletter, the Communications Committee is
establishing a Refuge and Friends photo database, a website, and a media plan. The Membership Committee has translated
our brochure into Spanish and is investigating membership management software. The Grants Committee just learned that
we were awarded a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Grant to develop a strategic plan for the Friends. They continue to
apply for grants to establish the Refuge's educational programs and to build capacity for our organization. The Fundraising
Committee has developed an amazing selection of Friends of Valle de Oro logo items to sell, and has a fundraiser planned at
B2B Bistronomy on March 9th.
There are still many opportunities to get involved – please contact our Committee Chairs to find out more. We look forward to
a another productive year with our hard-working member volunteers!
Kathy Caffrey: Chair, Communications Committee
Mary Deschene: Chair, Grants Committee
Carol Kline: Chair, Fundraising Committee
Alan Marks: Chair, Education Committee
Nathan Martinez: Chair, Bylaws Committee
Diane Reese: Interim Chair, Events Committee
Ric Watson: Chair, Membership Committee
Call for Newsletter Content!
Have a wonderful photo, an interesting article, or an
upcoming event? Consider contributing to our quarterly
newsletter with your work with the Friends and the
Refuge! Please send the Communications Committee an
email at [email protected] with
your submission or to find out more.
Volunteer Opportunities!
The Friends of Valle de Oro NWR Facebook page needs your help! Please consider assisting with the management of our Facebook
page. Contact Jennifer Owen-White for details.
The Friends are looking for an Events Committee Chairperson! If you would like to help us with Friends and Refuge events, please contact
Teri Jillson to find out more.
Call for Newsletter Content!
Federal Lands Access Program
- by Marisa Rodriguez-McGill
Thirty pages of writing, seven visual attachments, and an overwhelming number of support letters have been submitted! Valle de
Oro National Wildlife Refuge partnered with Bernalillo County Department of Public Works to submit the 2nd Street SW Complete
Corridor Project Proposal for the Federal Lands Access Program (FLAP). This is a federal grant aimed at improving transportation
facilities that provide access to, are adjacent to, or are located within Federal lands.
Through the FLAP grant, the County and the Refuge could receive up to $14.4 million for road improvements along 2nd Street SW
from Woodward all the way to Valle de Oro NWR. The project would include sidewalks, street renovations, enhanced crosswalks,
and a buffered, off-street multi-use trail. These amenities will allow all users to safely travel along the corridor to reach Mountain
View destinations, public transit options, and the Refuge.
The Friends Group has supported the application in many ways, from speaking at the County Commissioner’s meeting asking for
matching funding, to writing letters of support on behalf of many local organizations, and even helping with some of the details in
the actual application. We will find out about funding in early June 2014. For more information, visit http://valledeoro.tumblr.com/.
Great Backyard Bird Count
Photo: People gather on the Refuge for
the 2013 Great Backyard Bird Count.
- Photo by: Deanna Nichols
- by Karen Herzenberg
Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge held a Great Backyard Bird Count on Saturday, February 15, 2014. About fifty persons were
in attendance including Refuge Manager Jennifer Owen-White, Friends of VDO volunteers, and visitors from the neighborhood and
from the Albuquerque area birding community. Between the hours of 9:00am and 12:00pm a total of 48 bird species were recorded
on a sunny, un-seasonally warm day. Valle de Oro was the hotspot with the most birds tallied in the state of New Mexico! By
Monday VDO’s total was 56 species, but Bosque del Apache NWR edged ahead to the lead with 59. We had a lot of fun and look
forward to seeing you out there next year!
Junior Duck Stamp Program
- by Adrienne Warner, Outreach Coordinator, Duck Stamp Program
Valle de Oro is the proud new host refuge for the Junior Duck Stamp Program in
New Mexico. The Junior Duck Stamp Program is a federal program that was
started over 30 years ago as a small, single-state art contest and has grown to a
national competition that had over 29,000 students in grades K-12 participating in
2013.
The program aims to teach wetlands habitat and waterfowl conservation with a
multidisciplinary, standards-based curriculum that can be used in a variety of
learning environments, including schools, after-school programs, home schools,
and informal settings. The curriculum blends scientific and wildlife observation
principles and culminates with students creating a drawing or painting of a duck,
goose or swan that is found in North America. Students
submit their artwork for the state competition and the winner of "Best of Show" goes on to compete nationally. The winning
design of the national contest is made into the next year's Junior Duck Stamp.
Because Valle de Oro is the host refuge for New Mexico, and will be for the next two years, refuge staff and Friends members
coordinate all levels of the state competition, from outreach and publicity of the Junior Duck Stamp program, to artwork
compilation and judging.
This is where you come in! We need your help in getting the word out about this great program, and encouraging the young
people in your life to participate. The deadline for artwork submission is March 15, 2014, so time is of the essence! We also
need judges for the art competition that will be taking place on March 22, 2014 at the Harwood Art Center in Albuquerque.
Let's bring the future of wetland conservation to the small hands that can hold a pencil or paintbrush. Let's explore what's fun,
unique and mysterious about waterfowl and where they live. Please visit www.fws.gov/juniorduck for more information about
the Junior Duck Stamp Program.
Please mail artwork to:
Junior Duck Stamp Program
Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge
500 Gold Ave SW, room 4231
Albuquerque, NM 87102
Birds of a Feather Explore Together
-by Teresa Skiba, AmeriCorps VISTA Intern
Birds of a Feather Explore Together Volunteer Opportunity!
Save the Week! April 6th through the 11th
Birds of a Feather Explore Together is an environmental educational program developed by the New Mexico Audubon
Society to engage diverse communities throughout New Mexico in the exploration and awareness of the natural world. The
curriculum teaches students, with an emphasis on 4 th and 5th grade, about the diversity of habitats and wildlife within the
state—emphasizing the connection and similarities between bird and human needs for healthy environments and habitats.
Through working in the classroom and field, students will gain an understanding of bird habitat, behavior, adaptations, the
scientific method, and habitat health.
This April the Randall Davey Audubon Center of Santa Fe welcomes interested and dedicated volunteers to take part in
learning and implementing this curriculum in Albuquerque. Training will take place on April 6 th from noon until 6pm. During
the week of April 7th through the 11th volunteers will sign up to shadow Audubon educators in a 2.5 hour in classroom session
at Mountain View Elementary Monday, or Tuesday. And, attend a 3 hour field trip to the Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge
Thursday, or Friday. All volunteers should be available for a debriefing of the training in the afternoon following the Friday
field trip. Trained volunteers will then be asked to teach the curriculum to students within Albuquerque once during the spring
and fall.
Requirements: Volunteers must be passionate about teaching and sharing the natural world with children, be able to commit
to training during the week of April 6th through the 11th, and to teach the Birds of a Feather Explore Together curriculum to
students at local schools during the spring and fall.
For additional information and/or interest in volunteering please contact Teresa Skiba, (505) 803-7719, or Jennifer OwenWhite, (505) 933-2708.
Photo: Sandhill cranes are already frequently found
on the Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge,
and will be a focus of phenology monitoring at the
refuge.
Photo By: LoriAnne Barnett
Bosque Education Guide Workshop
On Saturday, March 9th from 8:30 – 4:30, the Mountain View Community Center is hosting the Bosque Education Guide
Workshop. The Bosque Education Guide is an interdisciplinary curriculum about the Middle Rio Grande Valley ecosystem.
The curriculum provides classroom-based and field activities for students grades K-12. For the main activity, students
construct a model of the Middle Rio Grande and then manipulate the paper and cloth pieces to demonstrate human impacts
over the last two hundred years. Later, they "restore" the ecosystem. Click here to find more information about features
of the curriculum and some downloadable materials.
Workshop information
Workshop activities will occur indoors and outdoors. Participants should dress in weather appropriate attire and bring a hat,
sunscreen and insect repellant as needed. Bring a sack lunch and water bottle. Workshop participants will receive the
curriculum and an accompanying kit.
The workshop and the materials for participants are offered through funding from New Mexico State Parks. The workshop is
co-sponsored by the NM Museum of Natural History & Science and the Rio Grande Nature Center State Park, with long-term
support from the US Fish and Wildlife Service's Bosque Initiative Group.
To reserve a space please contact Teresa Skiba, (505) 803-7719.
Photo: Friends members Diane and Mary at a training on
the Bosque Education Guide. They are getting prepared to
teach the youth who visit the refuge and in the community
all about our great Bosque habitat and what we can do to
conserve it!
Nature's Notebook
-by Nicole Haskett
The US Fish and Wildlife Service's National Wildlife Refuge System is collaborating with the USGS-led USA National
Phenology Network and its online phenology monitoring program, Nature's Notebook, to monitor phenology throughout the
Refuge System. Through this partnership, Valle de Oro NWR has been selected as a pilot program to demonstrate the
scientific and community benefits of the Nature's Notebook program. The Refuge will represent a model for how phenology
monitoring can assist National Wildlife Refuges with their management and outreach goals in the future.
In October 2013, staff from the USA National Phenology Network, the US Geologic Survey, and the US Fish & Wildlife
Service met with Jennifer Owen-White. Along with volunteers from a variety of organizations including Master Naturalists,
Master Gardeners, the Rio Grande Nature Center, and the Albuquerque BioPark, the group toured the refuge and mapped
out a potential plan for monitoring.
As monitoring on the refuge commences, partners will be working with high school seniors at Nex+Generation Academy who
have already conducted an analysis of the refuge and its chosen sites. They will also be communicating their findings to the
public.
“Participating in the program is a way for me to make a small contribution to the community that I live in,” said volunteer,
Sandra Schwanberg. “The refuge is a beautiful place. Something interesting is always going on. There are different
experiences each time I visit. Being outside, seeing small changes and working with others is enjoyable. There is always
something to learn and something to share.”
Photo: Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge Manager
Jennifer Owen-White, USA-NPN Liaison to the USFWS
Erin Posthumus, and Nex+Gen Academy teacher Kevin
Gant discuss the selection of phenology observation
locations for the refuge.
Photo by: Carolyn Enquist
Wildlife Notes
-by Teresa Skiba
After a sustained journey from the breeding grounds of the central Arctic, thousands of Snow and Ross's Geese migrate
south to graze on palatable fields of grass and alfalfa. During the winter months Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge is
home to hundreds of Snow and Ross's Geese. The two species seemingly attract to each other gathering in mixed flocks. To
the naked eye the flocks appear homogenous—a moving wave of white feathers—however with the use of binoculars, or a
spotting scope the trained eye can spot characteristics that separate these recently diverged species.
The Snow Goose is relatively abundant and a large bird - its bill hefty and wedge shaped almost as if grinning. In comparison
Ross's Goose is small, and a bit less common - the base of the bill straight and vertical. Occasionally, both species can be
found in a dark blue plumage referred to as the “Blue Goose”. The dark morph of Ross's is rare and is hypothesized to be a
Snow Goose hybrid. Both dark morphs of the Ross's and Snow Geese are similar however, the Ross's is characterized by
having white coverts.
As spring approaches the cyclical pattern of migration will resume. The Snow and Ross's Geese will continue their journey
north to breed in the Arctic. Before then, it is worth taking the time to observe the moving wave of white feathers at high
resolution. To spot out a Ross's, and another, and perhaps a Blue Goose!
Friends Logo Merchandise
-by Carol Kline, Fund Raising Chair
Purchasing our merchandise is an easy way to support the Friends group! Help us raise money to develop and support educational
programs, outreach and events at Valle de Oro! We have a great selection of items imprinted with our Friends logo!

A BPA-Free, foldable water bottle with an attached, screw-on cap and carabineer to hang from your belt loop. Imprinted with our
blue Friends logo, this wonderful, collapsible bottle sells for $5.00.

A choice of two different caps—a navy blue twill cap and a denim cap.Both are embroidered with the Friends logo in athletic gold
and sell for $20.00 each.

A 100% cotton, athletic gold t-shirt with the blue imprinted Friends logo.Available in adult sizes of Small, Medium, Large, X-Large
and XX-Large.It sells for $15.00.*

Pre-orders are being taken for a 7.5 oz., 50/50 blend hoodie sweatshirt in athletic gold with a royal blue Friends logo, or in royal
blue with an athletic gold Friends logo - both imprinted on the left chest. (The next order will be placed when 12 orders have been
received.Spread the word so we can get your order in fast!) Adult sizes available are Small, Medium, Large, and X-Large.It sells
for $28.00.*
*additional sizes may be available. Please send a check for total amount made out to Friends of VDONWR, with the order information
found below and payment to:
Carol Kline
Please contact Carol, (505) 452-0585 to arrange pick-up of your order. Thank you!
225 Sunnyslope St. SW
Albuquerque 87105
Item Ordering:
$ Total:
A note to Charter Friends of VDONWR Members: if you have not yet received your
polo shirt, please contact Carol to pick it up.
Color Choice:
Size Ordering:
Quantity Ordering: $ Total for Each Item:
$
Membership
Please consider joining the Friends of Valle de Oro NWR and using your skills and knowledge to make an impact in
furthering conservation and environmental education efforts in your community! This registration form can also be
found on the Friends Facebook page.
If you have not already,
please consider joining the
Friends of Valle de Oro
NWR and using your skills
and knowledge to make
an impact in furthering
conservation and
environmental education
efforts in your
community! This
registration form can also
be found on the Friends
Facebook page.
This information is provided to the Friends of Valle de Oro NWR members and interested parties. For more information about the Friends please visit our Facebook
page or email us at [email protected]. To make a submission to the next newsletter, please email us at [email protected].
We encourage you to share this newsletter with your friends and colleagues!