Rio Grande Nature Center State Park, Albuquerque

Located adjacent to the Rio Grande in Albuquerque, the Rio Grande Nature Center State Park is a 38-acre urban wildlife preserve established in 1982. Approximately two-thirds of the park's grounds are reserved as wildlife habitats, while the remaining acreage features a visitors center, two gardens, wildlife viewing areas, an education building, and a non-profit Wildlife Rescue, Inc. building. Additionally, four constructed ponds serve as habitats for birds and other wildlife, mirroring the wetland features of the Rio Grande's historical floodplain.

Visitors to the park have the opportunity to observe wildlife from viewing blinds overlooking two of the ponds, as well as from feeding stations in the gardens and along the trails throughout the park. The Rio Grande Nature Center also serves as a gateway to the surrounding riparian forest, locally known as the Bosque, and the Rio Grande itself.

The park offers a range of regular programming, including guided bird and nature walks, lectures, workshops, kids' classes, and three annual festivals. Thousands of students from around New Mexico visit the park each year for field trips. The park is also a popular destination for visitors from all over the world seeking to experience the unique visitors center designed by architect Antoine Predock and indulge in bird-watching.

The visitors' center is a remarkable feat of architecture, with an 8-foot diameter, corrugated drainage culvert that frames the tunnel entry into the center, imbuing it with a "river-edge vernacular." Upon entering, visitors are greeted by the salient feature of the park, a sunken, ramped exhibit and viewing area encircled by vertical, 8-foot-high, water-filled tubes. Light shimmers through the tubes from skylights to create an underwater effect. The ramp descends physically and symbolically to allow views of the vast forage areas, marshlands, and a reverse-periscope underwater image of the pond. Along the ramp, interpretive displays augment the views, and similarly, the exhibits complement interpretive trails that crisscross the refuge.

The visitors' center boasts several features, including a library/observation room that overlooks one of the park's ponds, exhibits that acquaint visitors with the Middle Rio Grande bosque ecosystem, the Discovery Room filled with educational and entertaining activities for kids, the Nature Shop run by the Friends of the Rio Grande Nature Center to support the park, and the park's headquarters.