pg 4 — Arroyo Field Notes

(The following is a written transcription of an audio recording)

SL: We are at the Hahn Arroyo. It is currently 2:30 pm in the afternoon on march 22, 2024. Um, we are surrounded by residential homes that flank both sides of the “concretized” arroyo. And… there’s a paved bike path on one side, and um, an unpaved path on the other side. Um…there seems to be, I don’t know, some potential for this to be the back alleyways of the neighborhoods – a connecting park.

(dog barking)

Um, haha. This is the second dog, or no, the third dog that we encountered. Two other people are walking their dogs along this trail. Umm.. and there’s… some of the houses also have their doors connecting to this. Well, to paint a clearer picture, there’s two, maybe 6-7 feet tall, CMU brick walls that flank the… path as well. And so, Um, it certainly feels like the backside of the public right of way, and that this is like the…space that doesn’t want to be seen by the public. But, um, it’s a very nice pedestrian corridor that connects between streets. And because there's no car traffic around this, there’s very little noise pollution here. And…and is a very nice break that… there’s birds that are coming through here. Um, haven't -still havent- seen other mammals or animals, and certainly different from the uhh, first arroyo that we’ve seen today. I think it’s called Bear Canyon Arroyo. None of the same plants are present here - I mean maybe one or two shrubs, but everything else is, um, the low-lying grass ground cover. None of the medium-sized flora fauna - uh, flora are present here to the same degree.

So certainly, the channelized portion is not the only part of the soil that’s been affected, and all of this, uhh…section - like clearly the soil has been disturbed to the point that even the native flora aren’t present anymore…in the same capacity.

Hah, what is this “brick” collecting? It’s like…kind of like chrysanthemum but the flower looks very different. It is spiky, no, not spiky what’s the word…airy? Um…I don’t know how much (MH) wants me to brain dump here, but, um it feels like I’m in an NPR episode.

MH: Haha, as much or as little as you want.

SL: I am describing the…arroyo as I see it but also as how I see it in the future. There is…a lot more that can besaid from another perspective, so why don’t I introduce Jiyou-

JK: Oh wait, I already recorded it on my phone.

SL: OK so… our guest today is not present, so we shall…keep going. Umm, yeah, there’s high schoolers milling about.

JK: One or two.

SL: One or two, haha. No, but it seems like a nice hang-out spot - out of the way. Um, certainly not the ACT/SAT prep courses that are happening along this arroyo, but definitely a third space that’s not school, that’s not home, that gives them a place to relax. Um…

What is interesting is that a lot of the trees from the privately owned, uhh, residential properties have a lot of tall trees. And those are what are providing the shade and, the arroyo itself does not have any… flora that is above a few inches, or 2-3 feet. Um, it certainly would benefit from the shade, especially along the pathside. It feels… I don’t know if it is the time of the day that’s causing it, but it certainly feels a lot warmer than the previous arroyo.

JK: I am dying.

SL: I am dying as well. The temperature is still 60 degrees, or 67, I guess. But in any case, the sun, the direct sun, is doing most of the work. The ambient temperature may be a very nice 67, but without the breeze, without the shade, it is a lot more difficult. I can’t even imagine what it would be like in the summer, under extreme…heat.

If this arroyo looked like the previous space, um I think there would be a lot more opportunity for native flora and fauna to engage with and connect through Albuquerque. It seems like there are, um, gaps and borders between (spaces) where they are allowed to live and thrive. There were…shifts in sediment and soil, um, earlier upstream. But here, we see none of that.