Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge
| Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge | |
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IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
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| Location | Socorro County, New Mexico, USA |
| Nearest city | Socorro, New Mexico |
| Coordinates | 34°20′00″N 106°50′00″W / 34.33333°N 106.83333°WCoordinates: 34°20′00″N 106°50′00″W / 34.33333°N 106.83333°W |
| Established | 1973 |
| Governing body | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service |
| Website | Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge |
The Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge is a protected area of New Mexico managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service as part of the National Wildlife Refuge System. It is located in the Chihuahuan desert 20 miles north of Socorro, New Mexico. The Rio Salado flows through the refuge.
The area that is now the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge was inhabited by the Piro Pueblo prior to Spanish arrival in 1598 in what is now the southwestern part of the United States. El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, which passed through the area, was the main transportation route from Santa Fe, New Mexico to Mexico City, Mexico.
In 1680, Governor Antonio de Otermin of Santa Fe retreated through the area to El Paso during the Pueblo Revolt. By this time, the Piro Pueblo, as well as many other Pueblos, were already abandoned due to Spaniard encroachment.
After the Piro were gone, the Spanish built a military post called "New Sevilla" on the site. This post became an important stop on El Camino Real and was at various times named "Joya de Sevilleta" and "La Jolla,".
The Sevilleta de la Joya Land Grant was given to the people of Sevilleta by the Governor of New Mexico prior to Mexican independence from Spain in 1821. The area passed from Mexican to United States control as a result of the Mexican–American War.
Socorro county bought this land in a public sale in 1928, because taxes on land could not be paid by the community that owned the land grant. In 1936, General Thomas Campbell bought this land from Socorro County and used it as a cattle ranch. In 1966, shortly before his death, Campbell established a foundation that eventually decided to preserve the land of Sevilleta by creating a wildlife refuge. In 1973 the foundation gave the land to The Nature Conservancy, which in turn gave it to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. On December 28, 1973, the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge was established.
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Wikipedia