For years, I have wanted to visit Bosque (BOSS-key) del Apache, south of Socorro, NM, to see the concentration of sandhill cranes, snow geese, and dozens, maybe hundred of other birds and animals that winter there. The Bosque is a large refuge run by the National Fish and Wildlife Service and is managed to rejuvenate the fields, marshes, and water bodies that almost disappeared as the Rio Grande was harnessed. That provides a welcome wintering spot for all these creatures and is a major reason why the sandhill crane population has ... (more)