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Photo: The Rio en Medio river channel sits well below the original floodplain after it was scoured by flooding events. This exposed soil damages the habitat. The goal of the restoration work is to gradually fill the channel back in using the natural power of flowing water to reconnect the river to the floodplain.

SANTA FE, N.M., Sept. 5, 2026—Work will begin Tuesday, Sept. 8, to restore a badly damaged stretch of the Rio en Medio that flows through the County-owned 121-acre Rio en Medio Open Space.

Debris flows damaged the trail following the 2020 Medio Fire and multiple flooding events in 2022. These events significantly deepened and widened the river channel and deposited ash from the burn scar across the floodplain. Prior to the floods, the open space featured a hikeable zone along the river that led to a waterfall on Forest Service land upstream. The area also had a unique oak forest, which community members say are some of the largest in New Mexico.

The restoration project will help the Rio en Medio floodplain work as a healthier system. Flood reducing structures will be added to help protect downstream communities. A crew led by Rio Grande Return, a nonprofit specializing in riverscape restoration and wetland habitat conservation in the arid Southwest, will carry out the work. They will implement recommendations from a report completed in 2024 by Tetra Tech, Inc. which assessed existing conditions, evaluated restoration needs, and outlined options with design drawings.

Photo: Rio en Medio river channel with post-disturbance plants present (common mullein). Restoration work will include planting native species to reduce the likelihood of invasive species taking over.

Project Scope

The project is expected to disturb an area approximately 4.8 acres, limited to the active channel and immediate bank margins. The focus is to stabilize the western boundary of the open space property through several actions:

• Erosion control and stabilization
• Planting native plant species
• Installing rock structures to slow water flow and help it soak into the ground
• Restoration Methods

Crews will install structures that mimic a healthy stream's natural processes in and adjacent to the active river channel, including:

• Post-assisted log structures (referred to as PALS) — clusters of woody debris anchored with hand-driven wooden posts
• Beaver dam analogues (referred to as BDAs) — low-profile structures built from woven woody material, native sediment, and rock

These structures, technically called "low-tech, process-based restoration structures" are designed to pond water, slow runoff, and help rebuild the riverbank and encourage plant growth. All work will be performed by hand labor only; no mechanized equipment, blasting, mechanical excavation, or imported fill materials will be used.

About Rio Grande Return

Rio Grande Return is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization specializing in riverscape restoration and habitat conservation of wetlands across the arid Southwest, using primarily low-tech, process-based methods to restore ecological health to degraded landscapes.

Questions about the project can be directed to the County of Santa Fe’s Open Space Resource Management Specialist, Monica Harmon, at MHarmon@SantaFeCountyNM.gov.

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