New Mexico: a Conservation Overview
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
StateState WiWildlifeldlife ActionAction PlanPlan forfor NewNew MexicoMexico 29 JulyJuly 2016 i State Wildlife Action Plan for New Mexico 29 July 2016 State Wildlife Action Plan For New Mexico Recommended Citation: New Mexico Department of Game and Fish. 2016. State Wildlife Action Plan for New Mexico. New Mexico Department of Game and Fish. Santa Fe, New Mexico. 282 pp + appendices. Copies of this document can be obtained by visiting www.wildlife.state.nm.us or writing to: New Mexico Department of Game and Fish P.O. Box 25112 Santa Fe, New Mexico 87504 Civil Rights and Diversity Compliance Certain programs of the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish receive federal funds from the US Department of the Interior. These programs are subject to requirements of the New Mexico Human Rights Act and Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. These acts prohibit discrimination because of ancestry, sex, race, color, religion, national origin, age, or physical or mental handicap. If you believe you have been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility, please contact either of the following offices. x NM Department of Game and Fish, ADA Coordinator, PO Box 25112, Santa Fe, NM 87504. x Office of Equal Opportunity, US Department of the Interior, Office of the Secretary, Washington, DC 20240. The Department of Game and Fish will schedule public meetings and operate facilities that are accessible to physically impaired persons. Reasonable accommodations will be made for other impairments, including hearing and sight. If special aids are required, call (505) 476-8027 or write to the NM Department of Game and Fish, PO Box 25112, Santa Fe, NM 87504 at least three working days prior to the meeting date. To initiate a complaint, write to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Federal Assistance, 4401 Fairfax Drive, Mail Stop: MBSP-4020, Arlington, VA 22203 ii State Wildlife Action Plan for New Mexico 29 July 2016 This page intentionally left blank. iii State Wildlife Action Plan for New Mexico 29 July 2016 Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS .............................................................................................................................................. IV LIST OF TABLES ...................................................................................................................................................... VIII LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................................................................... IX ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................................................................... X PREFACE.................................................................................................................................................................... XI EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................................ XII ACRONYMS USED IN THIS PLAN...........................................................................................................................XVI CHAPTER 1: NEW MEXICO: A CONSERVATION OVERVIEW...............................................................................1 BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION CHALLENGES .................................................................................................................. 1 THE STATE AND TRIBAL WILDLIFE GRANTS PROGRAM ........................................................................................................... 2 CREATING SWAP 2016-2025: PROCESS, COORDINATION, AND PARTICIPATION ...................................................................... 5 ROAD MAP TO THE ELEMENTS .......................................................................................................................................... 6 CHAPTER 2: COMPONENTS FOR CONSERVATION.............................................................................................9 SPECIES OF GREATEST CONSERVATION NEED (SGCN) ........................................................................................................... 9 ECOREGIONS ............................................................................................................................................................... 15 TERRESTIAL HABITATS ................................................................................................................................................... 18 AQUATIC HABITATS ...................................................................................................................................................... 28 Perennial Cold Water Streams ............................................................................................................................ 28 Perennial Warm Water Streams ......................................................................................................................... 29 Perennial Lakes, Cirques, Ponds .......................................................................................................................... 29 Perennial Cold Water Reservoirs ......................................................................................................................... 30 Perennial Warm Water Reservoirs ...................................................................................................................... 30 Ephemeral Marshes/Cienegas/Springs ............................................................................................................... 30 Ephemeral Catchments ....................................................................................................................................... 31 CHAPTER 3: THREATS, ACTIONS, AND OPPORTUNITIES................................................................................33 THREATS ..................................................................................................................................................................... 33 Residential and Commercial Development ......................................................................................................... 37 Agriculture .......................................................................................................................................................... 37 Energy Production and Mining............................................................................................................................ 40 Transportation and Utility Corridors ................................................................................................................... 44 Biological Resource Use ...................................................................................................................................... 46 Human Intrusions and Disturbance..................................................................................................................... 47 Natural System Modifications ............................................................................................................................. 48 Invasive and Problematic Species ....................................................................................................................... 52 Pollution .............................................................................................................................................................. 55 CONSERVATION ACTIONS: AN OVERVIEW ......................................................................................................................... 56 CONSERVATION ACTIONS FOR AQUATIC SPECIES AND HABITATS ............................................................................................ 56 Natural System Modifications ............................................................................................................................. 56 Invasive & Problematic Species: .......................................................................................................................... 57 CONSERVATION OPPORTUNITY AREAS .............................................................................................................................. 58 iv State Wildlife Action Plan for New Mexico 29 July 2016 CHAPTER 4: CLIMATE CHANGE ..........................................................................................................................61 HISTORIC CLIMATE CHANGE ........................................................................................................................................... 61 FUTURE CLIMATE CHANGE ............................................................................................................................................. 62 CLIMATE CHANGE INTERACTIONS WITH OTHER THREATS ...................................................................................................... 64 FUTURE CHANGES TO TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS ................................................................................................................ 64 Grasslands ........................................................................................................................................................... 65 Shrublands .......................................................................................................................................................... 66 Forests ................................................................................................................................................................