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Copyright © 2015 Albuquerque Journal

Albuquerque city crews beat their Wednesday deadline – the start of nesting season for birds – for completion of the controversial new bosque trail.

And while opponents had once called the project a “bulldozing” of the bosque, the walkers and cyclists out Monday gave the new trail good reviews.

Mayor Richard Berry likes it, too – so much, in fact, that he would like to see the trail extended all the way to Montaño Boulevard.

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The trail now runs between Central Avenue and Interstate 40, on the east side of the river, a distance of about a mile and a half.

In an interview, Berry said his proposed budget for next year also will include about $135,000 to hire interns to work with city crews to plant new trees and remove debris and non-native species.

“If we do nothing in the bosque, it won’t survive long term,” Berry said Monday. “Part of this process is to make it more accessible and enjoyable today, but the overarching goal is to raise up a new generation of stewards to love and care for the bosque.”

The trail work triggered intense opposition when it began last month. The Sierra Club and other groups accused the city of bulldozing “the bosque and public trust.”

About 150 opponents of the city’s decision to begin work turned out to City Council meetings, some carrying signs with “Save Our Bosque” and other messages.

Much of the criticism focused on the decision to start work. Opponents said the city hadn’t finished a public-comment process. Some also said the trail was at odds with the natural beauty of the bosque and that it ran too close to the river.

But a handful of people enjoying the bosque Monday said they liked the surface, especially that it was solid and smooth enough for strollers and bicycles.

The trail is topped with something known as “crusher fines.” For the most part, it looks like a mixture of sand, dirt and small rocks.

Before the recent work, Albuquerque resident Destry Satterfield said, “it was kind of difficult to get around. It was overgrown. This makes it more accessible and family-friendly.”

Andrea Brown, who was out hiking with Satterfield on Monday, described the new trail as a “good balance” between preserving nature and making it easier for people to enjoy.

“Hopefully, they don’t overdo it” with future work, she said.

The trail stands out from the surrounding soil because it’s a light tan rather than dark brown.

The Sierra Club and city still are working on an agreement that will cover the public-commenting and notification process for future work in the bosque. City officials also have said they’re willing to consider realigning the part of the trail that runs right next to the river.

“We’re working with experts to figure out how to restore the waterfront area and reduce some of the impact on the most affected areas,” Camilla Feibelman of the Sierra Club said Monday.

Finishing the work this month was important to the city because April 1 marks the beginning of nesting season for birds.

The $400,000 project replaces a worn path and is intended to help preserve the bosque by encouraging people to stay on one trail, rather than trample through the woods, city officials say. No cottonwoods or other native trees were torn down, they said.

Berry said the city won’t do any more mechanized work to avoid disturbing birds this summer. But less-intensive work by hand could continue.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to put in way-finding signs, Berry said.

Louis Sisneros, a member of the city’s security officers’ union, was out pushing a stroller with his 16-month-old daughter, Daylyn, inside. He said he couldn’t have used the stroller before the recent improvements.

The bosque is beautiful, Sisneros said, “but if you can’t access it, what’s the point? … I’m really glad they did it.”