From the Mountains to the Valleys
From the Mountains to the Valleys
The landscapes between the uppermost watershed and the river bottoms in New Mexico cross many ecosystems from alpine tundra through aquatic environments, and include forests and woodlands, grasslands, shrub lands, and desert ecosystems.
Each ecosystem has characteristic landforms, vegetation, and wildlife communities in equilibrium with the conditions under which it evolved. When those conditions change due to natural variations or because of human manipulation, it can affect the land and water not only in that part of the watershed, but upstream and downstream as well.
These ecosystems and the natural resources they provide - water, wood, crops, range, minerals, and unique wildlife habitats - are crucial to New Mexico.
