A Field Guide to the Plants and Animals of the Middle Rio Grande Bosque

Extending from the spillway below Cochiti Dam, about fifty miles north of Albuquerque, to the headwaters of Elephant Butte Reservoir, near Truth or Consequences in the southern portion of New Mexico, the Middle Rio Grande Bosque is more than a cottonwood woodland or forest. It is a complete riverside ecosystem, among the more important in the world's arid regions.Every day hundreds of visitors to the bosque encounter flora and fauna they can't identify. Researchers and municipal, county, state, and federal resource agency personnel concerned with the bosque's management need to know how plants and animals are linked to their habitats.With descriptions of more than seven hundred plants and animals illustrated with color photographs, this authoritative guide is the first of its kind for the Middle Rio Grande Bosque and is an invaluable resource for land managers, teachers, students, eco-buffs, and nature enthusiasts. It also reveals the important role the bosque plays in New Mexico's natural heritage.

Jean-Luc E. Cartron is a research assistant professor at UNM and the director of the Drylands Institute New Mexico office. He has written numerous articles on raptor ecology and is the editor of Biodiversity, Ecosystems, and Conservation in Northern Mexico. David C. Lightfoot is a research associate professor with the Museum of Southwestern Biology (MSB), UNM, and a senior ecologist with SWCA Environmental Consultants. Jane E. Mygatt is a senior collection manager with the MSB, UNM. Sandra L. Brantley is a research associate professor with the MSB, UNM. Timothy K. Lowrey is a curator and professor with the MSB, UNM.