Nature-Based Solutions: Engaging Communities in Urban Restoration

Introduction

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Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), the first urban wildlife refuge in the southwestern United States, is located in Bernalillo County, 7 miles south of the highly populated and industrial city of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Partnering with the refuge is the Mountain View neighborhood, a community within the South Valley that has dealt with decades of environmental injustices. Because residents’ needs and safety historically have not been prioritized by land managers, residents have been disproportionately affected by pollution from industrial production and development. Furthermore, federal environmental agencies often fail to communicate these health risks and collaborate with residents on solutions.

Additionally, the Mountain View community has limited access to public greenspaces. In 2006 when the remaining farm structures on the former Price’s Dairy and Valley Gold Farms were removed, most of the farm lots were sold to commercial businesses. Fearing further industrial development and the loss of access to potential outdoor recreational areas, neighbors formed the Friends of Valle de Oro (Friends group) in 2011 to advocate for the remaining lots to be federally protected and used as a wildlife refuge. In collaboration with the Friends group and other local partners, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (Service) purchased 570 acres of the land and established Valle de Oro as a National Wildlife Refuge in 2012. 

Since then, Valle de Oro NWR not only has become an important environmental and cultural space, but also a symbol of authentic cooperation. By utilizing a process of continuous community feedback and engagement to design the refuge and determine its programming, Valle de Oro NWR has begun to mend historical distrust, represent community cultural values, and facilitate meaningful connections between residents and the environment. Involving the community in the planning and implementation of nature-based solutions, such as restoration to create green spaces in urban environments, benefits both biodiversity and human well-being. The Service has identified nature-based solutions as a key strategy in the Climate Change Action Program to unify its climate response in accordance with the Department of the Interior’s Nature Based Solutions Policy.

Key Issues Addressed

During Albuquerque’s industrialization throughout the 20th century, a majority of the city’s polluting municipal waste facilities were established in the South Valley, an area of predominantly lower-socioeconomic residents, without considering neighbors’ needs during zoning discussions. The community also experienced heavy contamination from aviation plants and a chemical distribution company. This exposure caused serious illness, birth defects, and poor air and water quality, in addition to environmental degradation (Environmental Justice Leadership Team & Community Accountability Group, 2021). 

In the 1980s and 90s, environmental agencies began to shut down some of these facilities due to unsafe conditions. However, community activists formally criticized these measures on the basis that they harmed primarily minority workers without providing alternative employment options. 

Community activists also condemned agencies for perpetuating environmental injustice by removing community access to green space in the name of preservation. Urbanization, farming, and river flow structures have reduced Middle Rio Grande Valley wetlands by 80%, andcommunity members of the South Valley have limited access to outdoor recreation areas aside from what became Valle de Oro NWR. The nearest public playground to the Mountain View community is about a twenty-minute drive; however, many families lack means of transportation to get there.

 At the time that Valle de Oro NWR was established, it was the first urban refuge under the Service’s Urban Wildlife Conservation Program, so there was no blueprint to follow. Additionally, the refuge was first established with only one staff member. Thus, community-based planning and implementation was derived out of necessity as much as a desire to build trust.

Project Goals

• Build trust by incorporating community culture and needs into the design and function of the Valle de Oro NWR by using community feedback at all stages of planning. 
• Restore the land’s native ecosystems to provide consistent access to greenspace and increase a diversity of wetland, riparian riparian
  Definition of riparian habitat or riparian areas.
  
  Learn more about riparian , and upland habitats. 
• Use the refuge as a space to facilitate deeper relationships between community members and nature, as well as increase capacity for land management.

Project Highlights

• Community-Based Planning: In 2014, staff at Valle de Oro NWR began their collaborative refuge-planning process by holding events at the neighborhood community center and schools. During these meetings, residents, including scout troops, outdoor enthusiasts, scientists, students, parents, and many others identified what they wanted the refuge to accomplish and contain. This included discussions on anything from physical and visual designs (e.g. restorative landscaping, interior decor, etc.) to operational services. The refuge also used funds from the Friends of Valle de Oro to offer stipends for residents to serve as community consultants and increase outreach. Refuge staff analyzed this feedback and redrafted the refuge’s site plan environmental assessment before holding other community events to present updated ideas. Residents could then add sticky notes with comments and suggestions. A timeline was posted in the community center to help residents visualize the planning process. This pattern continued for three years until a design and implementation plan was agreed upon. Included in this collaborative design were multiple seasonally flooded riparian and wetland habitat features and adjacent semi-arid grasslands intended to provide habitats for over 200 migratory bird species and other wildlife. This adaptive design process helped build trust between the community and refuge staff because it demonstrated active listening on the part of a federal agency. Open house events are still held every quarter to update the community as refuge development continues. 
• Reflecting Community Culture: Valle de Oro NWR’s visitor center exists to meet both environmental and community needs by not only introducing people to the refuge’s native ecosystems but also to the neighboring residents’ culture. For example, all exhibit descriptions are identically positioned and printed in both English and the regional dialect of Spanish. Culturally significant nature-based words are proudly presented in Tiwa, the Indigenous language of the Pueblo of Isleta, whose ancestral lands span across the South Valley. Valle de Oro NWR also demonstrates a commitment to the community by providing offices within the visitor center for groups like the Friends of Valle de Oro and Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps. Furthermore, the center contains free meeting space and a library of environmental justice books hand-picked by community members. 
• Ensuring Community Accessibility: Staff at Valle de Oro NWR understand that part of being a facilitator between people and the environment means understanding accessibility obstacles. Valle de Oro NWR offers all services for no cost. This, along with hosting meetings at night and making them family-friendly encourages participation from families throughout the community. To accommodate limited transportation, Valle de Oro NWR and partners will be using grants to develop connectivity paths from the metropolitan area to the refuge, while volunteers offer free shuttle rides around the refuge. The Friends group and their continuous fundraising efforts are an important source of financial support for many of the refuge’s projects, including a contribution of $600,000 in fiscal year 2024 for the Perimeter Trail and Bosque Bridges projects, as well as the creation of an outdoor classroom. The Friends also provide free food for all open house planning meetings. 

Lessons Learned

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It takes a lot of effort and time for refuge staff to develop meaningful relationships and build trust with a community. An initial necessary part of this process was a period of two-way education where refuge staff learned about the community while neighboring residents learned about the native ecosystems. Through this experience, community members developed a sense of ecological possibilities. Meanwhile, refuge staff gained an understanding of community needs. By starting the process with this two-way knowledge exchange and incorporating neighboring residents in the planning process beyond legal requirements, Valle de Oro NWR staff proved their desire to foster a genuine relationship with the community rather than solely conserving the environment.

This commitment to long-term relationships and collaborations results in many benefits. Valle de Oro NWR relies on a strong, diverse network of partners for nearly all aspects of its work, allowing it to accomplish much more than it could alone. For example, the refuge’s physical design is made possible by local contractors and artists. Academic institutions distribute refuge news, participate in field days, provide interns, and assist with projects. Similarly, the efforts of individual community volunteers and the Friends of Valle de Oro are critical for activities such as writing grants, which provide most of the refuge’s funding. This collaborative process, although slower, makes applying for funding opportunities more efficient by dividing the workload. It can also make the application stand out by proving that all listed parties are already working together. Another benefit of continuous community engagement is that the network easily expands as both local and national organizations recognize common relationships and missions. For example, Valle de Oro NWR’s reputation for community engagement led America’s Wildlife Refuges to choose the refuge for environmental justice and mindfulness pilot programs.

Next Steps

• While much of the local community is involved, staff from Valle de Oro NWR and the Friends group will expand door-to-door, school-based, and social media communications to continue to increase community awareness and involvement of the larger community. 
• Develop a Nature Play Area at the refuge for children where kids can make fun memories while exploring nature and their environment: After considering the input of Mountain View Elementary School's entire student body, local artists, and landscapers, the Play Area project has passed the design stage. 
• Transition leadership structure structure
  Something temporarily or permanently constructed, built, or placed; and constructed of natural or manufactured parts including, but not limited to, a building, shed, cabin, porch, bridge, walkway, stair steps, sign, landing, platform, dock, rack, fence, telecommunication device, antennae, fish cleaning table, satellite dish/mount, or well head.
  
  Learn more about structure to a delegation model with the addition of more refuge staff: This will allow the refuge to operate with greater efficiency and enduring stability.

Funding Partners

• Friends of Valle de Oro
  • The Wilderness Society
  • Urban to Wild
  • Public Lands Alliance
  • Nusenda Credit Union
  • Explora Science Center 
• USFWS Urban Wildlife Conservation Program

Resources

• Friends of Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge.
• Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge.
• CART Case Study: Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge: An Urban Wildlife Refuge
• KRQE (2023). “Valle de Oro Urban Wildlife Refuge awarded more than $250,000.” YouTube.
•   Environmental Justice Leadership Tem & Community Accountability (2021). “Toxic Tour: The Mountain View Neighborhood's Journey of Environmental Justice and Healing .” ArcGIS StoryMaps. 
• Moore, R., et al. (1990). “SouthWest Organizing Project letter to Mr. Jay D. Hair, President of the National Wildlife Federation.” SouthWest Organizing Project.  

Contacts

• Valle De Oro NWR: valledeoro@fws.gov
• Forest Graber, President, Friends of Valle De Oro:  president@friendsofvalledeoro.org

CART Lead Author

Alyssa Wood, CART Case Study Intern, University of Arizona

Suggested Citation

Wood, A. G. (2024). “Engaging Communities in Urban Restoration at Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge.” CART. Retrieved from https://www.fws.gov/project/nature-based-solutions-engaging-communities-urban-restoration.