The land that is presently Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge was operated for decades as a dairy farm. After the closure of this facility, this area was dominated by alfalfa and fescue fields, it became seen as a potential development site for suburban homes until its purchase by the
Trust for Public Land was negotiated. In 2011, the site was earmarked for federal improvements, and in 2012 it was transferred to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. The site's restoration into native Middle Rio Grande Valley habitats for resident and migratory wildlife is ongoing. Federal administrators plan to extend the
bosque (riparian forest of the Rio Grande) onto the refuge. In 2015, the refuge's land acquisition was finalized, bringing the size of the National Wildlife Refuge to . Valle de Oro NWR is designated as an Urban National Wildlife Refuge, due to its proximity to Albuquerque. It is the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's first Urban NWR in its Southwest region to be built from the ground up under the new Urban Wildlife Conservation Program's Standards of Excellence. ==References==