Rio Grande Agricultural Land Trust

09/07/2026

Get Repost App • Audubon Southwest The Rio Grande through Albuquerque has experienced unprecedented dieback of its cottonwood forest during this year’s extreme dry conditions. Audubon Southwest partnered with the Albuquerque Bernalillo Water Utility Authority and the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District to provide emergency water for the river and cottonwood forest. Learn more: [ link in bio or https://bit.ly/3T3zaeZ ]

📸 Rio Grande near Campbell. Photo: Paul Tashjian/Audubon Southwest

09/01/2026

08/30/2026

MRG Farmer Survey Response Over 40% (2063) farmers told us about how they are experiencing water scarcity and how they view potential approaches to conservation, water-use reductions, and water sharing. See key findings and link to report below.

KEY FINDINGS:

Agricultural water users remain strongly committed to irrigation and crop production despite growing water challenges.

Agricultural water users strongly prefer management approaches that keep water within agriculture and within the MRGCD.

Drought and reduced surface water availability are the most significant challenges facing agricultural water users.

Local infrastructure investment is a clear priority.
Participation in the Environmental Water Leasing Program (EWLP) was limited but has potential for growth.

Concerns about water rights are the largest barrier to participation in conservation programs.

Agriculture water users’ trust varies substantially across information sources.

Many agricultural water users are interested in adaptation but face practical barriers

https://mrgsurvey.unm.edu/report/index.html?mc_cid=7ebcf1bfb9&mc_eid=c7dd90fbdc

06/26/2026

🚨 Black Bears in the Bosque! 🚨

Did you know that Socorro County and many other parts of New Mexico are home to black bears?

RGALT 's conservation easement landowner recently found signs of black bears on the property, including tracks in the driveway and damage to a building!

A beehive full of honeycomb and honey built inside the walls of an outbuilding was so tempting to one of the resident bears that it ripped apart the frame and stucco to access the honey. The landowner reported that the bear removed nearly the entire hive and all the bees are gone.

Black bears, like most wild animals, are usually wary of people and avoid areas of human habitation. The record drought and dry river channel may have forced this animal away from its usual foraging grounds in search of new food sources.

05/31/2026

Upcoming 2026 Irrigation Season Meetings
News from our partners at the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District. Get the latest news from MRGCD 2026 Irrigation Season Operational Update
and MRGCD May Irrigation & Hydrology Update.

04/16/2026

Get • BIRDS, BBQ, & BREWS! - Spring Birding Tour

The Rio Grande Agricultural Land Trust invites you to join us for a guided birding tour at the conserved La Joya Farms on April 25, 2026, from 8am - 1pm.
Birds, BBQ, and Brews brings together local bird guides and bird enthusiasts to experience the beautiful landscape and the spring bird migration at the conserved La Joya Farms, where over 250 bird species have been spotted! The farmed agricultural fields, Chihuahuan desert uplands, and Rio Grande bosque at La Joya Farms provide vital habitat for migratory and resident bird species alike. Expert bird guides will lead small groups through this stunning landscape, offering a unique opportunity to witness migratory and resident birds up close during New Mexico’s best birding season.

Tickets .RGALT.org

03/29/2026

Repost from
•
New research reveals that, across the American West, landowners are investing hundreds of millions of dollars of their own capital in conservation, matching public funds to keep working lands—and the benefits they provide—all alive, writes Rick Knight, Professor Emeritus of wildlife conservation at Colorado State University.

Read the full story at On Land online (link in bio).