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

Jean-Luc E. Cartron
David C. Lightfoot
Jane E. Mygatt
Sandra L. Brantley
Timothy K. Lowrey

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.

Selected as a Southwest Book of the Year for 2008 by the Tucson-Pima County Public Library

"...a user-friendly, informative tool for anyone venturing into the bosque."--New Mexico Magazine

"This is a great resource for nature enthusiasts visiting the area as well as students and professionals."--Wildlife Activist

Jean-Luc E. Cartron (M.D., 1991, University of Paris Val de Marne, France; and Ph.D., 1995, Biology, University of New Mexico) 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 Museum of Southwestern Biology, UNM.

Sandra L. Brantley is a research associate professor with the Museum of Southwestern Biology, UNM.

Timothy K. Lowrey is a curator and professor with the Museum of Southwestern Biology, UNM.

6 x 9 391 pages 833 color photographs, 2 halftones, 19 line drawings, 1 map