Friends of the Las Vegas National Wildlife Refuge
Grants Awarded
Within Las Vegas National Wildlife Refuge (LVNWR) there are two hiking nature trails, the Meadowlark Trail and the Gallinas Canyon Trail. Each trail provides recreational opportunities for visitors to enjoy during a visit to this unique area. This application is to support the restoration and rejuvenation of the Meadowlark Trail. Over time, due to lack of funding and short staffing, this trail has fallen into partial disrepair. Trails can also become dangerous with washed-out paths, mud, and fallen debris. Off-path walking to bypass damaged areas can destroy sensitive, natural resources and disturb wildlife. FLVNWR is seeking funding to repair the trail's tread to reestablish a solid, out sloped trail surface to drain water off the trail and strategically placing obstacles like rocks on the side of the trail will help prevent trail widening. A restored, sustainable trail will minimize the impact of the trail itself—and its users—on the surrounding landscape. The primary goals of this project are as follows: - Repave/resurface the Meadowlark trail, making it ADA compliant and accessible. - Add interpretive signage panels and stands. - Add increased bench seating areas and create an overlook. - Create a safety fence/barrier around archeologically significant historical structures near these nature trails. With these goals realized, this will increase the ability for all visitors to use the LVNWR trails to take in the sights and sounds of nature as they move through different habitats at the refuge. The additions of the fences and clearances will protect historic pieces of the lands, leftover from those that once used the land before the refuge existed.
Founded in 2004, the Friends of Las Vegas National Wildlife Refuge’s (FLVNWR) mission is to support the goals of the Las Vegas National Refuge Complex to preserve, protect and restore biological diversity and historical resources of the refuge landscape, while providing opportunities for wildlife-dependent outdoor recreation, education, interpretation, and scientific research. Over the past twenty-two years the FLVNWR and the Refuge have successfully created and run successful educational programs together including the Fall Flight Festival in each November and year-round programs for children and adults. The Friends have also worked with the Refuge on a number of projects including our Summerfest project when we reopened the Refuge and the Visitor Center after the pandemic and the major fires and flooding that this area experienced in 2022/23; a mural project for the Visitor’s Center where the mural artist worked with 60 middle school students from area schools completed in 2025; provided the funding for the creation of a Wildlife Trailer with a working watershed exhibit that will visit area schools and community events being created in 2026 and funded by our local community foundation and the FLVNWR; raised the funding for and creating a major Pollinator Garden at the entrance to the Visitor Center in 2025 funded by New Mexico State University; and many other activities and programs.