Sandhills now number as high as 17,000 on the refuge. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service cooperates with local farmers to grow crops for wintering waterfowl and cranes. Farmers plant alfalfa and corn, harvesting the alfalfa and leaving the corn for wildlife. The refuge staff grows corn, winter wheat, clover, and native plants as additional food. Moist Soil Management Lowering water levels in marshes to create moist fields promotes growth of native marsh plants.
Marsh management is rotated so that varied habitats are always available.
Dry impoundments are disced or burned, then reflooded, to allow marsh plants to grow. When mature marsh conditions are reached, the cycle is repeated. Many cottonwood abd willow bosques that once lined the Rio Grande have been lost to human developments. Salt cedar is being cleared and areas planted with cottonwood, black willow and understory plants to restore native bosques that have higher value for wildlife. Water Management Irrigation canals insure critical water flow.