Sen. Shannon Pinto Senate District 3 | Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter
The Bosque Action Team, a coalition of conservation groups and individuals, expressed dismay after the City of Albuquerque began construction on a new trail through the Bosque without prior public consultation. On Monday, the team received maps outlining three different trail options as part of an ongoing public process aimed at restoring and formalizing trails in the area. However, by Tuesday, city workers had already started bulldozing a 6-foot-wide path.
Richard Barish, Bosque Issues Chair for the Rio Grande Chapter of the Sierra Club and leader of the Bosque Action Team, criticized Mayor Richard Berry for proceeding with construction without revealing his plans or allowing public input. "Mayor Richard Berry ordered a trail to be plowed through the Bosque on Tuesday," Barish stated. He emphasized that this action breached trust with residents who had been actively involved in creating a consensus plan for the area.
Previously, the city had pledged to present several trail options for public feedback before selecting one and assessing its environmental impact. The sudden start of construction surprised many, including Barish himself who discovered it during a site visit. Despite previous productive exchanges between city officials and conservationists over two months, this move undermined their efforts.
Barish noted that trust built over time was damaged by this unilateral decision. "The City had done a very good job of involving the public and building trust over the past year," he said. The newly constructed trail runs north from Central Avenue along the riverbank—a sensitive environmental zone—and will be surfaced with crusher fines upon completion.
City officials attempted to justify their actions by claiming ADA accessibility needs; however, Barish refuted these claims as post hoc justifications lacking planning documentation or compliance evidence. Additionally, he dismissed assertions that recent Bosque walks constituted adequate feedback sessions since no concrete plans were shared then.
This incident follows years of contentious debate regarding development in the Bosque area dating back to Fall 2012 when initial plans were introduced without broad community engagement. After substantial public opposition in Fall 2013 and subsequent forums throughout Spring 2014 aimed at rebuilding trust through dialogue around environmental monitoring plans between Central Avenue and I-40 bridge areas seemed promising until now.
