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Bosque del Apache means ³Woods of the Apache,² named for the Apaches that routinely camped in the riverside forest. Over 700 years ago Piro Indians came to the valley for its fertile soil with abundant plant and animal life. These pueblo dwellers farmed, raised turkeys, gathered wild fruit and hunted wildlife. Eventually they were replaced by the Apaches. Bosque del Apache was established as a National Wildlife Refuge in 1939 to provide a refuge and breeding grounds for migratory birds and other wildlife. The refuge covers over 30,000 acres and is located on the northern edge of the Chihuahuan desert and straddles the Rio Grande approximately 100 miles north of Las Cruces (take I-25 north to exit 124). The heart of the refuge is a 7000 acre section of wetlands and farmlands. To the east of the wetlands the refuge rises through arid foothills to the San Pascual Mountains. It is borderd on the west by the Chupadera Mountains.
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