On Jan. 31, the Candelaria Nature Preserve in Albuquerque hosted a tour of its ongoing rewilding project. The public tours are given on the last Friday of every month from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and cover the preserve’s efforts to restore the 90 acres of former farmland in the North Valley, according to the Ciudad Soil & Water Conservation District website.
Partnering with the City of Albuquerque Open Space Division, the Ciudad Soil & Water Conservation District provides an annual report on some goals for the Candelaria Nature Preserve, including plans for soil health. The project is in the fourth year of its 20-year span. The 2023 report can be found on its website.
The guided tours are led by volunteers from the Friends of the Candelaria Nature Preserve, like Ruth Salvaggio.
“What we’re showing here is restoration,” Salvaggio said.
One example of this restoration is the addition of logs, which were brought in to create habitat, Salvaggio said. This invites wildlife to make use of the land again. She also said the nature preserve planted several varieties of plant life for butterflies and created an entire field dedicated to pollination.
The process of rewilding at the Candelaria Nature Preserve entails “transitioning the Preserve from non-sustainable agriculture to a mosaic of habitats that will support diverse native wildlife: wet and dry areas, hedgerows, grasslands, upland shrublands, conservation buffers, and forage for wildlife,” according to the Friends of Candelaria Nature Preserve’s website.
Just because a species is non-native does not make it an invasive one, and some non-native species function to support restoration. The workers carefully considered the place of certain invasive species, such as elm trees.
“They provide a canopy for birds,” Salvaggio said. “They’re serving a purpose.”
However, part of the project is to prevent new elms from growing, according to Salvaggio.
Teff, a type of grass native to Ethiopia and similar to millet and quinoa, was implemented in the preserve. Teff roots are shallow and the plant dies upon releasing its seeds, meaning teff is beneficial to the soil, Salvaggio said. In this way, teff acts as a natural mulch and a “nurse crop” that will support native plants in the future.
Many native plants are found in the preserve, too, including amaranth, blue grama, sacaton, mesquite, saltbrush and nightshade.
One of the destinations on the tour was the nursery, where many native plants begin their lives. Later, they are taken and planted in select areas, including the mosaics — plots designed to be flooded — Salvaggio said. Dispersed wildlife such as mesquite trees and sacaton grass grows in these areas.
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The work takes place on plots of former farmland separated by historic acequias. An end goal is to meld the former farm plot zones to allow for the cohesive spread of the wildlife and return the land to its pre-farmed state, Salvaggio said.
Bringing the land to its pre-farmed state also includes careful land terraforming in select areas, Salvaggio said. This is meant to carve out the original, natural arroyos of the area.
The guided tours are currently the only way for members of the public to see the Candelaria Nature Preserve. However, anyone can volunteer at the preserve from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. every Monday and Friday.
Emmett Di Mauro is a freelance reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on X @dailylobo
Elijah Ritch is a freelance reporter for the Daily Lobo. They can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on X @dailylobo
