Rio Grande Village (RGV) Wetlands
Completed: January 2020
Amount Raised: $286,500
Top Donors: The Trull Foundation, The Brown Foundation, The Meadows Foundation, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Permian Basin Area Foundation, The Powell Foundation
About the Project
For more than a decade, Big Bend Conservancy partnered with the park to restore over 55 acres of vital wetlands in the Rio Grande Village area and to revitalize the Rio Grande Village Visitor Center as a showcase for the region’s wetlands, world-class birding, and rich cross-border history.
This multi-phase project restored a disturbed riparian habitat along the Rio Grande by removing outdated agricultural berms, reestablishing natural water flow, and planting native cottonwoods, willows, and grasses. These efforts returned essential wetland habitat to numerous riparian bird species native to the Southwest and northern Mexico and improved hydrologic conditions that support the federally endangered Big Bend mosquitofish.
Located beside the popular Rio Grande Village Campground, the restored area is now an accessible and thriving habitat enjoyed by birdwatchers and nature lovers alike. Thanks to donor support, this collaboration has transformed a once-altered landscape into a living example of restoration, conservation, and cross-border ecological connection.