BioPark in Albuquerque is collaborating with Valles Caldera National Preserve to help protect and conserve the park's wildlife as part of a five-year zoo-park partnership.
The partnership includes a plan to expand BioPark's conservation efforts through new exhibits and educational programs, and additional work with specific species endemic to the state, KRQE reported. With over a million guests visiting the park each year, BioPark hopes to encourage visitors to become more involved in conservation efforts on various scales.
“Our goal for the first year will be installing bat and bee boxes at the national preserve, helping produce more pollinators. We’ll also be helping remove old sections of branch fencing and assisting in planting projects in areas surrounding repairing habitats," Brandon Gibson, deputy director of the City of Albuquerque’s Department of Arts and Culture, told KRQE.
With the partnership set to be fully underway by spring, future plans include boosting Jemez Mountain salamanders, the New Mexico meadow jumping mouse, and New Mexico’s state fish, the Rio Grande cutthroat trout, according to KRQE. Currently, BioPark is working towards creating available habitats for conserving and protecting the future residents of the park.
The collaboration is one of only eight such partnerships between zoos and national parks, according to Albuquerque officials.