A 5,700-square-foot building destined for the Bosque has some neighbors riled up.

John Hart's lived in the same house for 27 years, about as long as the Rio Grande Nature Center’s been around. A new education building will be constructed next to the center and a couple of doors down from his home. But Hart feels the structure will intrude on a treasured natural area. "They're overdoing it," he says. "It's poorly planned and larger than it needs to be."

When the project was initially proposed about three years ago, it was supposed to be 10,000 or 11,000 square feet, says Dave Simon, director of New Mexico State Parks. "We have refined down the building to meet what we think are basic needs for this facility. There's not a lot of excess in it."