Friends of the Northern New Mexico National Wildlife Refuges

23/10/2026

22/10/2026

The refuge staff predict about 4-5,000 sandhill cranes are currently using the refuge! Visit the refuge from sunrise to sunset and the Visitor Center is open Tues-Thurs 9am-3pm and Fri-Sat the same times if there are staff available! Call ahead to check at 505-425-3581.

19/10/2026

Sitting between the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and the Great Plains, Las Vegas National Wildlife Refuge is a unique site where waterfowl and other wildlife have called home since 1965. Sitting on a plateau, the prairies and playa lakes morph into timbered canyons surrounding the 8,672 acres on three sides and framing the playa lakes used by migratory waterfowl. Sitting on the Central Flyway, the refuge provides essential resting and feeding areas for migrating birds in the spring and fall as a migratory stopover site. Enjoy the refuge by driving the year-round 8-mile scenic auto tour, by hiking our Gallinas or Meadowlark Nature Trails, or by stopping at our Crane Lake Overlook to test your waterfowl knowledge.

14/10/2026

🚨We’re Hiring 🚨HawkWatch International is looking to bring on an Eagle Studies Field Technician to join us in Utah from January-June to help our Conservation Science team with various Golden Eagle field work projects. Click here to learn more about the role and apply: https://hawkwatch.org/opportunities/eagle-studies-field-technician/

📸: Gerry Johnson

10/10/2026

Yesterday there were so many monarchs migrating through the Las Vegas National Wildlife Refuge! They were nectarine on the asters that are still blooming at the Crane Lake overlook. An added bonus were the Sandhill cranes and so many waterfowl plus a huge portion of the elk herd were just hanging out. So beautiful!

10/10/2026

Today we had some third graders from the Rio Gallinas school in Las Vegas, NM, help some of us Master Gardeners and members of the refuge’s Friends group with planting some new native plants in the pollinator garden at the Las Vegas National Wildlife Refuge. The kids did GREAT and they were so much help. They planted 43 plants and we sure hope the plants survive the challenges from the elk herd that occasionally wanders through the garden.

14/09/2026

14/09/2026

The staff and Friends of the Northern New Mexico National Wildlife Refuges had a great time in Roswell at the 2026 Dragonfly Festival at the Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge. The Staff & Friends Board Members worked for 4 days to help get the festival set up.

28/08/2026

Rio Mora National Wildlife Refuge is a part of now four different refuges within the Northeastern National Wildlife Refuge Complex. The staff of all four refuges cover over 40,000 acres of lands and waters with emphasis on management for migratory waterfowl and endangered species. Find the four refuges outside of the towns and cities of Maxwell, Watrous, Las Vegas and Roswell NM!

Photo Description: A landscape scene overlooking water and red hills at Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge, by Alyssa Lu/USFWS. See less