Just south of Socorro, between the Rio Grande and Interstate 25, lies the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. Established in 1939 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in their efforts to bring the whooping crane back from near extinction.
Whooping crane eggs were placed in sandhill crane nests, with the sandhill's becoming foster parents. This winter there are two whooping cranes among the thousands of sandhill cranes at the refuge.
While the primary purpose of the refuge was as a wintering place for the sandhill cranes, several
other endangered birds winter at the refuge. Eight bald eagles, along with numerous varieties of
geese can be seen.
Habitat for some 295 species of birds and over 400 different mammals, reptiles and amphibians, mule deer, rattlesnakes, soft-shell turtles, and porcupines.
