Bernalillo County clears bosque debris to reduce wildfire risk
Crews cleared 31 illegal camp sites and 4 tons of debris from the bosque as Bernalillo County and Albuquerque move to cut wildfire fuel in a historic drought.
City of Albuquerque and Bernalillo County crews removed 31 illegal camp sites and 4 tons of trash and debris from the bosque as part of a wildfire-prevention push in the Rio Grande corridor. The work centered on Bosque Open Space and other river-adjacent stretches where dry vegetation, hidden debris and limited access can turn a small ignition into a fast-moving fire.
Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office Open Space Deputies said they launched a coordinated operation in the Bosque Open Space to address public safety concerns and remove unauthorized encampments. County and city crews were not just mowing or trimming. They were clearing trash, hauling debris and dismantling camp sites, a mix of fire-risk reduction and law-enforcement response in a landscape that draws hikers, cyclists and people seeking informal shelter.
That matters in a drought year because the bosque is already considered high-risk during the state’s long fire season, which the city says generally runs from March 1 through November 30. Albuquerque Fire Rescue wildfire materials say dense vegetation, dead wood and invasive species can increase fire intensity in the bosque. They also warn that limited access in some areas can slow firefighter movement, making quick initial attack critical if smoke or flames appear near the river.
The cleanup fits into a longer effort by city and county officials to harden the bosque against wildfire. A FEMA environmental assessment documented the Rio Grande Bosque Wildfire Mitigation Project in July 2022, and Bernalillo County completed its Community Wildfire Protection Plan in June 2022. Those planning documents show the risk is not new, especially for the North Valley and other neighborhoods that border the river corridor and depend on open space areas such as the Bosque Open Space and Rio Grande Valley State Park for recreation.
For residents near the bosque, the immediate issue is not just a cleaner river corridor. It is whether the county and city are moving quickly enough to match the scale of the fire threat as drought conditions deepen and dry fuels pile up along Albuquerque’s edge. The latest removal of camp sites and debris lowers the amount of material a fire could consume, and it improves the odds that crews can get in fast if one starts.
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