Gila Symposium 2008
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the new mexico botanist Special Issue Number 2 October 2010 proceedings of the second Natural History of the Gila Symposium October 16–18, 2008 Western New Mexico University Silver City, New Mexico edited by William Norris Department of Natural Sciences, Western New Mexico University Richard Felger Research Associate, San Diego Natural History Museum and Herbarium, University of Arizona Kelly Kindscher Senior Scientist, Kansas Biological Survey, University of Kansas 2010 Proceedings of the Second Natural History of the Gila Symposium, October 2008 / The New Mexico Botanist, Special Issue No. 2, October 2010 Contents Introduction .................................................................................................. 1 Winter Birds of Nichols Canyon, New Mexico Carol L. Campbell............................................................................................ 3 Cienaga Restoration at the Pitchfork Ranch (Grant County, New Mexico) A. T. Cole and Cinda Cole ..................................................................................11 The Nature Conservancy’s Conservation Action Plan for the Gila Headwaters Martha S. Cooper ...........................................................................................29 Founding the Forest: A New View of the Land Jolane Culhane ..............................................................................................35 Trees of the Gila Forest Region, New Mexico Richard Felger and Kelly Kindscher ........................................................................38 Mammals of the Upper Gila River Watershed, Arizona and New Mexico: Patterns of Diversity and Species of Concern Jennifer K. Frey ..............................................................................................67 Near-Stream Herpetofauna of the Upper Gila River of Southwestern New Mexico Randy D. Jennings, Bruce L. Christman, Charles W. Painter, and Jan L. Frye ..........................88 Wetlands along the Gila River in Southwestern New Mexico Kelly Kindscher, Quinn Long, and Hillary Loring ....................................................... 116 A Website for the Vascular Plants of the Gila National Forest Russell Kleinman .......................................................................................... 122 From Standing in the Light: My Life as a Pantheist Sharman Apt Russell ...................................................................................... 124 Cougars: Lore and Science in New Mexico’s Gila Watershed Harley G. Shaw ............................................................................................ 129 M. H. “Dutch” Salmon: Champion of the Gila Donna Stevens ............................................................................................. 133 Gila-San Francisco Decision Support Tool Amy Sun, Vince Tidwell, and Geoff Klise ................................................................ 134 Abstracts ................................................................................................... 142 Breeding Raptors of the Gila River Valley in New Mexico / Jean-Luc E. Cartron, Scott H. Stoleson, and Robert Shantz 142 Landbird Surveys in the Big Burro Mountains, Grant County, New Mexico, 2006–2008 / David J. Griffn 142 Jaguar Conservation in Northern Mexico, with Implications for Their Restoration in New Mexico / Diana Hadley 142 Mexican Wolves Are the Most Endangered Subspecies of Gray Wolf / Nancy L. Kaminski 143 iv The New Mexico Botanist, Special Issue No. 2, October 2010 Proceedings of the Second Natural History of the Gila Symposium, October 2008 / The New Mexico Botanist, Special Issue No. 2, October 2010 The Importance of Spikedace and Loach Minnow Populations in the Birding Area Introduction of the Gila River / Dennis Miller 143 Avifauna of the Upper and Lower Gila River in New Mexico: Similarities, Dissimilarities, and Species People experience the “Gila Region”* in many different ways. Second Natural History of the Gila Symposium, held on the of Concern / William R. Norris and Roland Shook 143 What resident of southwestern New Mexico has not enjoyed campus of Western New Mexico University in mid-October a picnic, a morning outing to watch birds, or an afternoon 2008, was a forum for presentations of scientifc research and The Gila River’s Other Fishes / David L. Propst and Yvette M. Paroz 144 fshing on a stream or lake reservoir somewhere in this area? a venue for engaging talks about environmental education ac- North America’s Jaguars Require Commitment to Recovery and a Permeable Border / For biologists, the Gila Region represents a hotbed of biodi- tivities, impacts of all-terrain-vehicle use, a history of federal- Michael J. Robinson 144 versity containing many species of state and federal conser- wilderness-area establishment in the Gila National Forest, vation concern, including the Mimbres fgwort, Gila trout, and refections on “pantheism.” In these proceedings, you will Mexican Wolf Recovery Stymied by Government Traps, Bullets, and Disinformation / Chiricahua leopard frog, and southwestern willow fycatcher. fnd papers submitted by 13 of the presenters at this sympo- Michael J. Robinson 144 Hydrologists study the Gila River and predict impacts of sium; the other presentations are represented by abstracts. Channel Restoration to Increase Aquatic Habitat on the Upper Gila River / potential water diversion from this waterway; dendrochro- We hope you enjoy this written record of a memorable event. nologists read the tree-ring record found in conifer slabs to And we hope that you also enjoy the Third Natural History of Eric Scherff, Vicenç Acuña Salazar, and Clifford N. Dahm 144 infer historic fre regimes and to interpret patterns of climate the Gila Symposium Oct. 14–15, 2010. A Historical Look at Populations of Southwestern Willow Flycatchers Found Along the Gila River in change. For natural-resource managers, it is a forest to be We are indebted to Dr. Kelly Allred (emeritus professor, Southwestern New Mexico / Roland Shook 145 managed by thinning or fre; for private landowners it can New Mexico State University), editor of The New Mexico be a cienaga to be restored by harnessing the power of water Botanist, for facilitating publication of these proceedings as Monitoring River Dynamics in the Cliff-Gila Valley, New Mexico / via rock dams, cross vanes, and rock baffes. Archaeologists a special edition of this journal. All of the papers in these Ellen S. Soles, Martha S. Cooper, Dave Gori, and Lara Wood Miller 145 study the evidence of indigenous cultures throughout the proceedings have been peer reviewed, and we are grateful Off-Road Vehicles in the Gila National Forest / Donna Stevens 145 Gila Region in the form of pictographs, pottery shards, and for editorial help and reviews provided by almost three dozen ancient cliff dwellings, villages, and town sites, and historians people (many of whom wish to remain anonymous). We also Drought, Fire, and People: Histories and Warning from Tree Rings / Thomas W. Swetnam 146 analyze the sociological, economic, and political factors that owe a special debt to Sarah Johnson, who spent many hours Conservation Education as a Metaphor for the Learning Process / Andrew Tegarden 146 have shaped land use here as waves of people moved into copyediting and formatting this publication. And we are grate- Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs in the Gila River Watershed: History, Ecology, and Restoration / southwestern New Mexico. Environmental educators see ful to T&E, Inc., for funding that supported publication of golden opportunities to take students of all ages into the Gila these proceedings. Joe Truett 146 Region to introduce concepts of ecology and biodiversity and Xeric-Adapted Trees in Mesic Landscapes: Patterns of Water Use and Establishment to observe the impacts of human use. And authors including — William (Bill) Norris, Richard Felger, and Kelly Kindscher, in Riparian Junipers (Juniperus spp., Family Cupressaceae) / Kathy Whiteman 146 “Dutch” Salmon and Sharman Russell write about this region proceedings editors, on behalf of all steering committee in prose that captures the visceral, often spiritual connection members: Marcia Andre, Jack Carter, Richard Felger, Kelly felt by so many people toward this land. Kindscher, William (Bill) Norris, Martha Schumann, Roland To look at the Gila Region with only one of the above per- Shook, Ellen Soles, Donna Stevens, and John Titre spectives is to miss a much larger picture. In this spirit, the *The Gila Region is broadly defned as the Gila National Forest Burro, Mimbres, Mogollon and Pinos Altos ranges; and all their as well as surrounding lands and mountains, including the Black, drainages, including the Gila, San Francisco, and Mimbres rivers. 1 Proceedings of the Second Natural History of the Gila Symposium, October 2008 / The New Mexico Botanist, Special Issue No. 2, October 2010 Winter Birds of Nichols Canyon, New Mexico Carol L. Campbell Assistant Professor, Department of Geography, New Mexico State University P.O. Box 30001, MSC MAP, Las Cruces, NM 88003-8001 [email protected] Abstract (Melanerpes uropygialis) rely on riparian habitat year-round, according to the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish Riparian habitats of the Southwest are limited in extent and (n.d.). These two residents are listed as threatened by this threatened with diversion, fragmentation, and development. agency. The designation of critical habitat for another species The Gila River in New Mexico is one of the remaining free- of concern, the federally