Vegetation Community Data within a Proposed Wetland Area on the NM Boys and Girls Ranch near Bernardo, New Mexico

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), working in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, installed a groundwater and vegetation monitoring network in a proposed wetland area east of the Rio Grande near Bernardo, New Mexico on the NM Boys and Girls Ranch, at a site now known as the Blue Heron Wildlife Preserve (BHWP). In September of 2016, baseline vegetation data were collected across the BHWP to assess vegetation changes with time in the proposed wetland area as it is established and maintained. A second round of vegetation surveys were conducted in August of 2018 for comparative purposes. The collection of this data will support conservation and management decisions.