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And the 2025 Winning Photos Are...

Commander's Choice Award - "Patrolling Conchas Lake"
View of Conchas Dam from a boat on the lake, fall 2024. Photo by Prakash Kaini, chief, Water Management Section.
First Place - "Annual Inspection"
Two Albuquerque District employees conduct the annual inspection on the Galisteo Dam conduit, May 8, 2025. Photo by Prakash Kaini, chief, Water Management Section.
Second Place (tie) - "Zia Sunset"
This sunset looks exactly like a ZIA sun symbol tilted slightly on its side. The photo was taken July 14, 2024, at the Abiquiu Lake Cerrito Recreation Area, by Pamela Bowie, Abiquiu Lake park ranger and USACE-South Pacific Division water safety representative.
Second Place (tie) - "Trail Therapy"
A mountain bike rests in the foreground on the mountain biking and hiking trail as the sun sets over Abiquiu Lake, N.M., Feb. 5, 2025. Photo by Samantha Jones, operations project manager, Rio Grande Basin.
Third Place - "Baby Bandits"
Three baby raccoons play on a dead snag at Tingley Bosque Ponds, in Albuquerque, N.M., July 17, 2025. Photo by Hira Walker, program manager, Middle Rio Grande Endangered Species Collaborative Program.

2025 Photo Drive Entries

Geotechnical Drilling
The Albuquerque District’s geotechnical team and AE contractors work on the geotechnical drilling investigation at the Kirtland Air Force Base Space Systems Command project, July 23, 2025. Photo by Chris Carroll.
Ice at Abiquiu
Ice pushes up against the toe of Abiquiu Dam, N.M., Feb. 8, 2025. Photo by Pamela Bowie.
Beginning of a New Day
QAs meet for their morning meeting in a parking lot in Pacific Palisades, Calif., April 12, 2025. These QAs were working the Palisades debris removal mission, part of the USACE Southern California wildfires recovery mission after wildfires burned parts of Los Angeles in January 2025. Photo by Forrest Luna.
Deer at Kiva Loop
Two does are seen in this photo taken May 25, 2025, at Paa-Ko Kiva Loop in Sandia Peak, N.M. Photo by Douglas Bailey.
Lightning Strike
Lightning strikes Alligator Mountain during a storm, Aug. 1, 2025. Santa Rosa Lake, N.M., is seen in the foreground. Photo by Paul Sanchez.
After the Fire
Ash and debris left after wildfires burned parts of Los Angeles in January 2025. The photographer took the photo while deployed in support of the USACE Southern California wildfires recovery mission, March 18, 2025. Photo by Keith Winemiller.
Pamela Bowie, USACE-Albuquerque District
Smoke from the Indios Fire and a passing rainstorm make for the most amazing sunset colors, July 11, 2024, - no filter needed. The photo was taken at the volunteer site in the Riana Campground at Abiquiu Lake, N.M., by Pamela Bowie.
Interagency Rafting
Group photo taken on the Rio Chama below El Vado Dam during an interagency rafting trip in the fall of 2024. Staff from the Albuquerque District joined staff from the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR), Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority (ABCWUA), and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for the trip. Photo by Prakash Kaini.
Coyote and Jetty Jacks
A coyote pauses for introspection by a section of jetty jacks in the Rio Grande Bosque, March 2025. Jetty jacks, a network of steel triangular structures installed along the Middle Rio Grande in the mid-20th century, were originally designed to trap sediment, stabilize banks, and control flooding. Over time, these structures altered natural river dynamics, limited floodplain connectivity, and became overgrown with dense vegetation, often dominated by invasive species. Today, jetty jacks remain a striking reminder of historic flood control practices, and many are being selectively removed as part of restoration efforts to restore habitat diversity and natural hydrologic processes in the Bosque. Photo by Rodrigo Sedeno.
Rio Grande in Fall
Fall colors along the Rio Grande as seen from Cochiti Dam, October 2024. Photo by Samantha Jones.
Abiquiu Dam
An overview of Abiquiu Dam and Reservoir as seen from the right abutment staging area, July 23, 2025. Photo by Chris Carroll.
Gratitude in Recovery
A sign in Altadena, Calif., June 18, 2025. It is one of many similar signs Christopher Zayas saw throughout Altadena in support of the USACE Southern California wildfires recovery mission after wildfires burned parts of Los Angeles in January 2025. Zayas said this particular sign was presented during a meet and greet thank you ceremony hosted by community leaders and residents. Photo by Christopher Zayas.
Alien Bird
A brown-headed cowbird nestling in an Endangered Southwestern Willow Flycatcher Nest, along the Rio Grande in Corrales, N.M., July 7, 2025. Cowbirds lay their eggs in other birds’ nests and the “host” birds raise them, often resulting in their own young perishing. Photo by Hira Walker.
Sunshine and the Cerro Pedernal
Sunflowers shine in front of Cerro Pedernal as viewed from the Riana Campground at Abiquiu Lake, N.M., Aug. 22, 2024. Photo by Samantha Jones.
Hot Air Balloon over the District Office
A hot air balloon floats over the USACE-Albuquerque District Office the morning of April 24, 2025. Photo by Keith Winemiller.
Peterson Reservoir Inspection
Debris runoff from a storm event is seen in Peterson Reservoir in this photo taken during an inspection of the dam and reservoir, June 23, 2024. The City of Las Vegas, N.M., uses water from the reservoir for municipal purposes. The watershed area was affected by the 2022 Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire. Photo by Chris Carroll.
Snooping Under the Bridge
A Snooper Truck is utilized to inspect the Jemez River Bridge, May 2, 2025. Photo by Samantha Jones.
Sunrise
Sunrise over the devastated landscape of Altadena, Calif., March 15, 2025. USACE-Albuquerque District employee Keith Winemiller took the photo while deployed in support of the USACE Southern California wildfires recovery mission after wildfires burned parts of Los Angeles in January 2025.

2025 Photo Drive Entries - Part 2

Tarantula
A three-inch tarantula at Fort Wingate, N.M., Oct. 10, 2024. Photo by Keith Winemiller.
Leaving Conchas Dam
View of Conchas Dam from a boat on the lake, fall 2024. Photo by Prakash Kaini.
Thirst for Life
This tree is utilizing a “last ditch” effort to survive the wildfires that struck Altadena, Calif., in January 2025. The tree has generated abnormal growth in the form of mossy leaves and needles in areas that normally do not produce such foliage. This is done in an attempt to draw in as much energy from the sun and any precipitation to sustain life, in an attempt to survive. The photo was taken June 24, 2025, by Christopher Zayas
More Renovation at Conchas
“During” (top image, taken Sept. 18, 2024) and “After” (bottom image, taken July 11, 2025) renovation and repair work at the Conchas Lake administration building. The exterior elements were refreshed and include full-depth stucco replacement, adobe repairs, new windows, garage doors, sidewalks, and wood elements throughout. Hidden vigas were discovered during stucco replacement and were restored to original conditions. The work began in May 2024 and is currently finishing up. Photo by Joshua Ellison.
Renovation at Conchas
“During” (top image, taken Sept. 18, 2024) and “After” (bottom image, taken July 11, 2025) renovation and repair work at the Conchas Lake administration building. The exterior elements were refreshed and include full-depth stucco replacement, adobe repairs, new windows, garage doors, sidewalks, and wood elements throughout. The work began in May 2024 and is currently finishing up. Photo by Joshua Ellison.
Maintenance Chutes and Ladders
The maintenance crew at Abiquiu Lake practice safe ladder use while building the Wave Changing Station in the Rio Chama Recreation Area, June 26, 2024. Photo by Pamela Bowie.
Cuckoo Survey
USACE-Albuquerque District biologists conduct bird surveys, June 2024, in an attempt to solicit a response from the yellow-billed cuckoo, a threatened species known to occur in the Albuquerque Bosque. These series of dawn to early morning biological surveys occur during bird migratory season (usually in May and June). They occur on past and current USACE projects. These species are known as indicators of restoration, and habitat suitability for various types of bosque community mosaics. Presence and nesting are key in such studies and could contribute towards signs of restoration success. These surveys also inform a larger interagency and international survey network, coordinating with BOR, USFWS, USFS, NMDGF, state agencies, Pueblos, other First Nations, as well as academic and NGO research teams in Bolivia, Mexico and other parts of Latin America. Photo by Rodrigo Sedeno.
Other Duties as Assigned
Park Ranger Wayne Arquero investigates a water leak along the water supply line to the Tetilla Campground at Cochiti Lake, May 2025. Photo by Samantha Jones.
Birdhouse Installation
Abiquiu Lake Natural Resources Specialist Kara Rapp installs a Juniper Titmouse house on a Juniper tree at Abiquiu Lake, N.M., Feb. 1, 2025. Photo by Pamela Bowie.
Flycatcher Survey
USACE-Albuquerque District biologists conduct bird surveys, May 2024, in an attempt to solicit a response from the Western willow flycatcher, an endangered species known to occur in the Albuquerque Bosque. These series of dawn to early morning biological surveys occur during bird migratory season (usually in May and June). They occur on past and current USACE projects. These species are known as indicators of restoration, and habitat suitability for various types of bosque community mosaics. Presence and nesting are key in such studies and could contribute to signs of restoration success. These surveys also inform a larger interagency and international survey network, coordinating with BOR, USFWS, USFS, NMDGF, NMSP, Pueblos, Indigenous Nations, as well as academic and NGO research teams in southwestern Mexico and other parts of central America. Photo by Rodrigo Sedeno.
Soil Sampling
Corey Bowen, geotechnical engineer in the district’s Geotechnical Engineering Section, samples soil with a hand auger at the BLM Equestrian Facility, Goldfield, Arizona, project in Apache Junction, Ariz., July 3, 2025. Photo by Chris Carroll,
Inside the Dam
Jonathan Hicks, Conchas Lake natural resource specialist, gives a tour of Conchas Dam, Aug. 4, 2025, to two Army cadets sponsored by the Albuquerque District this summer. Photo by Capt. Garrett Falk.
Conchas Dam
View of Conchas Dam, August 2024. Photo by Rodrigo Sedeno.