By Isabella Mendez, Anthropology Major, Mentor Jancoba Dorely.
Beginning in the 1950s, the Army Corps and the Bureau of Reclamation began to alter the landscape of the Bosque in Albuquerque by installing steel structures called Jetty Jacks as erosion prevention. Made of intersecting steel beams and barbed wire, their purpose was to trap sediment and stabilize the riverbank, preventing flooding. While they worked well initially, over time the river has moved and its hydrology has changed, rendering these Jetty Jacks obsolete. Worse than being obsolete, they have become a public safety issue: they block paths, end up inside the river, and are dangerous obstacles for firefighters. As New Mexico’s climate changes, the Bosque becomes drier and the temperature warmer, leading to increased fire risk. Additionally, important projects headed by the Bureau of Reclamation to analyze the hydrology of the Rio Grande now face multi-season long delays as Jetty Jacks are individually documented and removed.
This video will provide the means for the Albuquerque community to hear about the impact of these structures straight from those most impacted, civil engineer Jancoba Dorley and Archaeologist Dr. John Cater at the Bureau of Reclamation. Beyond interviews, a Google Earth map containing the coordinates of Jetty Jacks along the Bosque from the Isleta bridge to the Alameda bridge will be provided to orient the issue into physical space. The goal of this project is to raise awareness as to the nuisance these Jetty Jacks pose so that there is social pressure for their removal and acceptance of removal projects by the general public.