Treesearch

The purpose of this panel is to review past, present, and future human needs and desires associated with riparian environments. Our focus concerns the diverse demands, interactions, and expectations that people have for the riverine lands. The discussion is designed to take place within historic, economic, and social/cultural contexts.

The Pueblo of Isleta, located five miles downstream from Albuquerque, and the NM Water Quality Control Commission has established strict water quality standards for the Rio Grande, and it has become necessary for the Albuquerque Public Works Department to pursue methods to enhance the purity of treated municipal wastewater effluent produced at the Southside Water Reclamation Plant (SWRP). In response to requirements in a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit, issued in June 1994 by the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), design has begun for additional...

Seiiorito Canyon, a non-functional, degraded tributary stream of the Rio Puerto in New Mexico, has begun to respond to management strategies by the Bureau of Land Management. Restoration of the riparian ecosystem has been accomplished principally through livestock grazing management and planting and reestablishment of the native cottonwood/willow communities. The use of riparian pastures constructed along the stream was necessary to "jump-start" the system and allow total grazing deferment from 3 to 5 years.

Much is yet to be learned about the importance of bats in Southwestern ecosystems, their ecological requirements, and how habitats should be managed to sustain these important species. A first step towards these goals is to determine what species exist in different habitats and across what geographic ranges. The objective of this study was to identify the bat species which use pinyon-juniper habitats of the Middle Rio Grande Basin. Ten pinyon-juniper sites with permanent water on the Cibola National Forest were mist netted four times from May to September 1995. Sixteen bat species were...

The middle Pecos River lies in the short-grass prairie ecotype and lacked a substantial woodland community prior to tamarisk (Tamarisk chinensis) invasion. Tamarisk control is a concern for land managers on the Pecos River and other Southwestern riparian systems. Our research is part of a long term study investigating hydrological and wildlife response to tamarisk removal on the Pecos river in Eddy County, New Mexico. Our objectives were to collect baseline data and describe avian-vegetation associations at the treatment site and two non-treatment (control) sites prior to herbicide...

Research concerning ancient Pueblo Indian farming, specifically the innovation of cobble-mulch gardens, suggests a manipulation of the local environment on a landscape level that helped create existing ecosystems. This agricultural technology, which consisted of a protective layer of gravel covering the productive soil, trapped seasonal runoff moisture in field areas, retained it, and guarded against evaporation. These water trapping features are usually found on terraces and slopes above riparian areas. The effect of this lithic-mulch technology on available water, drainage patterns, and...

The entrance of the Spanish into what is now New Mexico in the 1500s permanently altered aboriginal land use and subsistence patterns by the introduction of domesticated animals such as horses, cattle. sheep, goats, and pigs. During the Spanish Colonial and Mexican periods, both the Puebloan groups and the Hispanic settlers practiced mixed farming featuring small numbers of livestock pastured in communal grazing areas. After New Mexico became a United States Territory, large-scale ranching ventures also developed in the area. The rapid rise in stock numbers associated with the commercial...

Riparian ecosystems have been part of the culture of land use of native peoples in the Southwest United States for thousands of years. The experiences of tribal riparian initiatives to incorporate modern elements of environment and development with cultural needs are relatively few. This paper describes tribal case examples and approaches in riparian management which may advance discussions of cultural values in resource management for rural and developing communities such as those on tribal lands in the United States.

The Rio Grande Basin Consortium (RGBC) serves as a networking group and clearinghouse for scientific information pertaining to the Rio Grande Basin. Its membership consists of natural and social scientists from New Mexico’s three research universities, administrators, and resource managers from federal, state, and local governmental agencies, members of community and advocacy groups, and private citizens. Members share an interest in better understanding the physical, ecological, economic, social, and cultural dynamics of this drainage area. In this report, we briefly describe the history,...

Managing the Rio Grande Valley State Park as a valued riparian-wetland area is very important as it encourages conditions for the growth of vegetation. This growth supports a riparian community consisting of various insects, animals, birds, and fish, as well as other wildlife. Human activity in riparian areas has led to historic use patterns causing erosion, re-location of animals and birds, and a loss of some valued riparian ecosystems. Riparian areas on the urban edge present a unique management challenge and opportunity. All area residents benefit from a properly functioning riparian/wet...