Ecoregions of New Mexico - Ecological Regions · phenomena include geology, physiography,...
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NM_eco_map_fnl3.ai GG 1/23/07 PRINCIPAL AUTHORS: Glenn E. Griffith (Dynamac Corporation), James M. Omernik (USGS), Maryann M. McGraw (NMED), Gerald Z. Jacobi (Jacobi and Associates), Christopher M. Canavan (NMED), T. Scott Schrader (NMSU), David Mercer (NMED), Robert Hill (NRCS), and Brian C. Moran (Indus Corporation). COLLABORATORS AND CONTRIBUTORS: Shann Stringer (NMED), David McCraw (NM Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources), Ken Scheffe (NRCS), Paul Neville (EDAC/UNM), Phil Crocker (USEPA), Shannen Chapman (Dynamac Corporation), Sandy Bryce (Dynamac Corporation), Mark Gruber (New Mexico Department of Game and Fish), John Hutchinson (Science Applications International Corporation), Jack Wittmann (USGS), and Tom Loveland (USGS). REVIEWERS: Steve Cary (NM State Parks), Michael DeMers (New Mexico State University), and Esteban Muldavin (University of New Mexico). CITING THIS MAP: Griffith, G.E., Omernik, J.M., McGraw, M.M., Jacobi, G.Z., Canavan, C.M., Schrader, T.S., Mercer, D., Hill, R., and Moran, B.C., 2006, Ecoregions of New Mexico (color poster with map, descriptive text, summary tables, and photographs): Reston, Virginia, U.S. Geological Survey (map scale 1:1,400,000). Ecoregion maps, publications, GIS files, and contact information are available at www.epa.gov/wed/pages/ecoregions.htm. Ecoregions denote areas of general similarity in ecosystems and in the type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources; they are designed to serve as a spatial framework for the research, assessment, management, and monitoring of ecosystems and ecosystem components. By recognizing the spatial differences in the capacities and potentials of ecosystems, ecoregions stratify the environment by its probable response to disturbance. These general purpose regions are critical for structuring and implementing ecosystem management strategies across federal agencies, state agencies, and nongovernment organizations that are responsible for different types of resources within the same geographical areas. The New Mexico ecoregion map was compiled at a scale of 1:250,000. It revises and subdivides an earlier national ecoregion map that was originally compiled at a smaller scale. The approach used to compile this map is based on the premise that ecological regions can be identified through the analysis of the spatial patterns and the composition of biotic and abiotic phenomena that affect or reflect differences in ecosystem quality and integrity. These phenomena include geology, physiography, vegetation, climate, soils, land use, wildlife, and hydrology. The relative importance of each characteristic varies from one ecological region to another regardless of the hierarchical level. New Mexico contains semiarid shrub- and grass-covered plains, forested mountains, glaciated peaks, woodland- and shrubland-covered hills, lava fields and volcanic plateaus, river floodplains, and arid deserts. Ecological diversity is enormous. There are 8 level III ecoregions and 55 level IV ecoregions in New Mexico and many continue into ecologically similar parts of adjacent states. This map is part of a collaborative project primarily between USEPA Region VI, USEPA National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory (Corvallis, Oregon), New Mexico Environment Department (NMED), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)–Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)–National Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS). The project is associated with an interagency effort to develop a common framework of ecological regions. Reaching that objective requires recognition of the differences in the conceptual approaches and mapping methodologies applied to develop the most common ecoregion-type frameworks, including those developed by the USDA–Forest Service, the US EPA, and the NRCS. As each of these frameworks is further refined, their differences are becoming less discernible. Collaborative ecoregion projects, such as this one in New Mexico, are a step toward attaining consensus and consistency in ecoregion frameworks for the entire nation. Ecoregions of New Mexico CONTINENTAL DIVIDE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE 21f 21f 21f 21f 21f 21f 21f 21f 21f 21b 21e 21b 21c 21c 21c 21d 21h 21h 21h 21g 21d 20c 20b 20d 22i 23c 23e 22n 23c 23e 22k 23c 23e 23d 23c 23c 23c 23c 23c 23c 23c 23c 23c 23c 23d 23d 23d 23d 23d 23d 23e 23c 23c 23c 23b 24b 24c 24b 24b 24a 24c 24c 24c 24c 24c 24c 24d 79a 79b 79b 79b 79b 79b 79b 79b 79b 79b 79c 79c 79a 24c 24c 24c 24c 24f 24d 24d 24d 24d 24d 24c 24a 24g 24h 24h 24b 24b 24d 23c 23d 23e 22l 22m 22m 22g 26p 22h 23f 23f 23f 23f 23e 23g 26p 26h 26h 26h 26h 26h 26p 23f 23f 23f 23f 23f 23f 23b 23g 23g 24a 24b 23a 23a 24b 24b 24a 26q 26o 23e 23e 26m 26h 26h 26h 21c 21e 21h 21g 21g 21g 21g 21g 21j 22a 22b 22f 22g 21d 21c 21c 21c 21b 21b 21a 21a 21a 21a 21e 21e 21e 21e 21b 21e 21b 21f 21f 21e 21b 21h 21h 21h 21f 21f 21g 21g 21a 21h 21b 21b 21c 21b 21c 21c 21d 21g 21g 21a 21b 21b 21c 21b 21j 21j 21f 21d 21j 21j 26f 26f 25c 26l 25e 25b 25e 25c 26d 26n 25i 25j 25i 25k 25k 25j 25j 24b 21e 21b 21c 23e 24c 24c 22j 22h 24h 23e 23c 21j 24a 21d 21d 21d 21e 25b 23e 25j 21f 21e 21f 21d 24a 24b 23a S an F r a n c i s c o G i l a R i v e r R i o G r a n d e P e c o s R i v e r R io P e n asco ~ Elephant Butte Reservoir Navajo Reservoir San J u a n R i v er R i o C ha m a Abiquiu Reservoir R i o G r a n d e R i o P u e r c o M o r a R i v er D r y C i m ar r o n R i v er Conchas Reservoir C o n c h a s R i ve r C a n a d i a n R i v er Ute Reservoir P ec os R i v e r Caballo Reservoir El Vado Reservoir R i v e r C h a c o R i v e r C a n ad i an R iv er J e m e z R i v e r Red Bluff Reservoir Brantley Reservoir Bitter Lake Two Rivers Reservoir Lake Sumner Animas R i v e r Z uni River R i o H o n do B la c k R i ver R i o F e l i x L a P l a t a R i v e r M a nc o s R i v e r Lake Avalon Salt Lake M i m b re s R i v e r Morgan Lake Rio San Jose Santa Rosa Lake R i o T u l a rosa D e- N a-Z in W a s h Bluewater Reservoir Cochiti Reservoir Heron Res. Chaco W a s h Carlsbad Caverns NP White Sands NM El Malpais NM Chaco Culture NHP Bandelier NM Capulin Volcano NM ANIMAS VALLEY ANIMAS MTNS SAN FRANCISCO MTNS PLAINS OF SAN AGUSTIN SAN MATEO MTNS B LA CK R AN G E JORNADA DEL MUERTO S A N A N D R E S M T N S TU L A R O S A V A L L E Y SACRAMENTO MTNS GUADALUPE MTNS CHUSKA MTNS ZUNI MTNS SAN MATEO MTNS MANZANO MTNS JEMEZ MTNS S A N G R E D E C R I S T O M T N S PELONCILLO MTNS M E S C AL E R O O R GA N M T N S M O G O L L O N M T N S E S T A C A D O L L A N O E S C ARPM E N T SANDIA MTNS C A P R O C K E S C A R P M E N T 20 22 23 23 79 24 20 21 22 21 26 26 25 26 25 24 23 Santa Fe Alamogordo Albuquerque Aztec Bernalillo Carlsbad Carrizozo Clayton Clovis Deming Estancia Fort Sumner Gallup Grants Las Cruces Las Vegas Lordsburg Los Alamos Los Lunas Lovington Mora Mosquero Portales Raton Reserve Roswell Santa Rosa Silver City Socorro Taos Tierra Amarilla Truth Or Consequences Tucumcari El Paso Ciudad Juarez Pecos Farmington Hobbs Artesia Shiprock COLORADO OKLAHOMA TEXAS TEXAS ARIZONA UTAH MEXICO 105˚ 104˚ 103˚ 106˚ 107˚ 108˚ 109˚ 109˚ 108˚ 107˚ 106˚ 105˚ 104˚ 103˚ 37˚ 36˚ 35˚ 34˚ 33˚ 32˚ 32˚ 33˚ 34˚ 35˚ 36˚ 37˚ 120 km 60 mi 0 10 20 30 0 15 5 10 30 60 Albers equal area projection Standard parallels 33˚ N and 36˚ N SCALE 1:1 400 000 20 Colorado Plateaus 20b Shale Deserts and Sedimentary Basins 20c Semiarid Benchlands and Canyonlands 20d Arid Canyonlands 21 Southern Rockies 21a Alpine Zone 21b Crystalline Subalpine Forests 21c Crystalline Mid-Elevation Forests 21d Foothill Woodlands and Shrublands 21e Sedimentary Subalpine Forests 21f Sedimentary Mid-Elevation Forests 21g Volcanic Subalpine Forests 21h Volcanic Mid-Elevation Forests 21j Grassland Parks 24 Chihuahuan Deserts 24a Chihuahuan Basins and Playas 24b Chihuahuan Desert Grasslands 24c Low Mountains and Bajadas 24d Chihuahuan Montane Woodlands 24f Rio Grande Floodplain 24g Gypsiferous Dunes 24h Lava Malpais 25 High Plains 25b Rolling Sand Plains 25c Moderate Relief Plains 25e Canadian/Cimarron High Plains 25i Llano Estacado 25j Shinnery Sands 25k Arid Llano Estacado 22 Arizona/New Mexico Plateau 22a San Luis Shrublands and Hills 22b San Luis Alluvial Flats and Wetlands 22f Taos Plateau 22g Rio Grande Floodplain 22h North Central New Mexico Valleys and Mesas 22i San Juan/Chaco Tablelands and Mesas 22j Semiarid Tablelands 22k Lava Malpais 22l Plains of San Agustin 22m Albuquerque Basin 22n Near-Rockies Valleys and Mesas 23 Arizona/New Mexico Mountains 23a Chihuahuan Desert Slopes 23b Madrean Lower Montane Woodlands 23c Montane Conifer Forests 23d Arizona/New Mexico Subalpine Forests 23e Conifer Woodlands and Savannas 23f Rocky Mountain Conifer Forests 23g Rocky Mountain Subalpine Forests 26 Southwestern Tablelands 26d Semiarid Canadian Breaks 26f Mesa de Maya/Black Mesa 26h Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands and Savannas 26l Upper Canadian Plateau 26m Canadian Canyons 26n Conchas/Pecos Plains 26o Central New Mexico Plains 26p Pluvial Lake Basins 26q Southern New Mexico Dissected Plains 79 Madrean Archipelago 79a Apachian Valleys and Low Hills 79b Lower Madrean Woodlands 79c Madrean Pine-Oak and Mixed Conifer Forests Level III ecoregion Level IV ecoregion County boundary State boundary International boundary Continental divide
Transcript of Ecoregions of New Mexico - Ecological Regions · phenomena include geology, physiography,...
NM_eco_map_fnl3.ai GG 1/23/07
PRINCIPAL AUTHORS: Glenn E. Griffith (Dynamac Corporation), James M. Omernik (USGS), Maryann M. McGraw (NMED), Gerald Z. Jacobi (Jacobi and Associates), Christopher M. Canavan (NMED), T. Scott Schrader (NMSU), David Mercer (NMED), Robert Hill (NRCS), and Brian C. Moran (Indus Corporation).
COLLABORATORS AND CONTRIBUTORS: Shann Stringer (NMED), David McCraw (NM Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources), Ken Scheffe (NRCS), Paul Neville (EDAC/UNM), Phil Crocker (USEPA), Shannen Chapman (Dynamac Corporation), Sandy Bryce (Dynamac Corporation), Mark Gruber (New Mexico Department of Game and Fish), John Hutchinson (Science Applications International Corporation), Jack Wittmann (USGS), and Tom Loveland (USGS).
REVIEWERS: Steve Cary (NM State Parks), Michael DeMers (New Mexico State University), and Esteban Muldavin (University of New Mexico).
CITING THIS MAP: Griffith, G.E., Omernik, J.M., McGraw, M.M., Jacobi, G.Z., Canavan, C.M., Schrader, T.S., Mercer, D., Hill, R., and Moran, B.C., 2006, Ecoregions of New Mexico (color poster with map, descriptive text, summary tables, and photographs): Reston, Virginia, U.S. Geological Survey (map scale 1:1,400,000).
Ecoregion maps, publications, GIS files, and contact information are available at www.epa.gov/wed/pages/ecoregions.htm.
Ecoregions denote areas of general similarity in ecosystems and in the type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources; they are designed to serve as a spatial framework for the research, assessment, management, and monitoring of ecosystems and ecosystem components. By recognizing the spatial differences in the capacities and potentials of ecosystems, ecoregions stratify the environment by its probable response to disturbance. These general purpose regions are critical for structuring and implementing ecosystem management strategies across federal agencies, state agencies, and nongovernment organizations that are responsible for different types of resources within the same geographical areas.The New Mexico ecoregion map was compiled at a scale of 1:250,000. It revises and subdivides an earlier national ecoregion map that was originally compiled at a smaller scale. The approach used to compile this map is based on the premise that ecological regions can be identified through the analysis of the spatial patterns and the composition of biotic and abiotic phenomena that affect or reflect differences in ecosystem quality and integrity. These phenomena include geology, physiography, vegetation, climate, soils, land use, wildlife, and hydrology. The relative importance of each characteristic varies from one ecological region to another regardless of the hierarchical level.
New Mexico contains semiarid shrub- and grass-covered plains, forested mountains, glaciated peaks, woodland- and shrubland-covered hills, lava fields and volcanic plateaus, river floodplains, and arid deserts. Ecological diversity is enormous. There are 8 level III ecoregions and 55 level IV ecoregions in New Mexico and many continue into ecologically similar parts of adjacent states.This map is part of a collaborative project primarily between USEPA Region VI, USEPA National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory (Corvallis, Oregon), New Mexico Environment Department (NMED), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)–Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)–National Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS). The project is associated with an interagency effort to develop a common framework of ecological regions. Reaching that objective requires recognition of the differences in the conceptual approaches and mapping methodologies applied to develop the most common ecoregion-type frameworks, including those developed by the USDA–Forest Service, the US EPA, and the NRCS. As each of these frameworks is further refined, their differences are becoming less discernible. Collaborative ecoregion projects, such as this one in New Mexico, are a step toward attaining consensus and consistency in ecoregion frameworks for the entire nation.
Ecoregions of New Mexico
CONTINENTAL D
IV IDE
CO
NT
INE
NTA
L DIV
IDE
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San Francisco
Gila
River
Rio Grande
Pecos River
Rio Penasco ~
ElephantButte
Reservoir
NavajoReservoir
San Juan River
Rio Chama
Abiquiu Reservoir
Rio
G
rand
e
Rio Puerco
Mora River
Dry Cimarron River
Conchas Reservoir
Conchas River
Canadian
River Ute Reservoir
Pecos
River
CaballoReservoir
El VadoReservoir
Riv
er
Chaco River
Canadian River
Jemez River
Red BluffReservoir
Brantley Reservoir
BitterLake
Two RiversReservoir
LakeSumner
Animas
River
Zuni River
Rio Hondo
Black River
Rio Felix
La Pla
ta
Rive
r Mancos River
Lake Avalon
SaltLake
Mimbres River
MorganLake
Rio San Jose Santa RosaLake
Rio
Tularosa
De-Na-Zin Wash
Bluewater Reservoir
CochitiReservoir
HeronRes.
Chaco Wash
CarlsbadCaverns NP
WhiteSands NM
El MalpaisNM
Chaco Culture NHP
Bandelier NM
Capulin Volcano NM
ANIM
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TNS
SAN FRANCISCO MTNS
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TNS
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GUADALUPE MTNS
CHU
SKA MTNS
ZUNI MTNS
SAN
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TNS
MAN
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TNS
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TNS
SANG
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E CRIST
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PELO
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TNS
MESC
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AN MTNS
MO
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E S
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C A
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A N
O
ESCARPMENT
SANDIA M
TNS
CAPROCK
ESCARPMENT
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Santa Fe
Alamogordo
Albuquerque
Aztec
Bernalillo
Carlsbad
Carrizozo
Clayton
Clovis
Deming
Estancia
Fort Sumner
Gallup
Grants
Las Cruces
Las Vegas
Lordsburg
Los Alamos
Los Lunas
Lovington
Mora
Mosquero
Portales
Raton
Reserve
Roswell
Santa Rosa
SilverCity
Socorro
Taos
TierraAmarilla
Truth Or Consequences
Tucumcari
El Paso
Ciudad Juarez
Pecos
Farmington
Hobbs
Artesia
Shiprock
COLORADO
OKLAHOMA
TEXA
S
TEXAS
AR
IZO
NA
UTAH
M E X I C O
105˚ 104˚ 103˚106˚107˚108˚109˚
109˚ 108˚ 107˚ 106˚ 105˚ 104˚ 103˚
37˚
36˚
35˚
34˚
33˚
32˚32˚
33˚
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35˚
36˚
37˚
120 km
60 mi
0102030
015 510 30
60
Albers equal area projectionStandard parallels 33˚ N and 36˚ N
SCALE 1:1 400 000
20 Colorado Plateaus 20b Shale Deserts and Sedimentary Basins20c Semiarid Benchlands and Canyonlands20d Arid Canyonlands
21 Southern Rockies21a Alpine Zone21b Crystalline Subalpine Forests21c Crystalline Mid-Elevation Forests21d Foothill Woodlands and Shrublands21e Sedimentary Subalpine Forests21f Sedimentary Mid-Elevation Forests21g Volcanic Subalpine Forests21h Volcanic Mid-Elevation Forests21j Grassland Parks
24 Chihuahuan Deserts24a Chihuahuan Basins and Playas24b Chihuahuan Desert Grasslands24c Low Mountains and Bajadas24d Chihuahuan Montane Woodlands24f Rio Grande Floodplain24g Gypsiferous Dunes24h Lava Malpais
25 High Plains25b Rolling Sand Plains25c Moderate Relief Plains25e Canadian/Cimarron High Plains25i Llano Estacado25j Shinnery Sands25k Arid Llano Estacado
22 Arizona/New Mexico Plateau22a San Luis Shrublands and Hills22b San Luis Alluvial Flats and Wetlands22f Taos Plateau22g Rio Grande Floodplain22h North Central New Mexico Valleys and Mesas22i San Juan/Chaco Tablelands and Mesas22j Semiarid Tablelands22k Lava Malpais22l Plains of San Agustin22m Albuquerque Basin22n Near-Rockies Valleys and Mesas
23 Arizona/New Mexico Mountains23a Chihuahuan Desert Slopes 23b Madrean Lower Montane Woodlands23c Montane Conifer Forests23d Arizona/New Mexico Subalpine Forests23e Conifer Woodlands and Savannas23f Rocky Mountain Conifer Forests23g Rocky Mountain Subalpine Forests
26 Southwestern Tablelands26d Semiarid Canadian Breaks26f Mesa de Maya/Black Mesa26h Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands and Savannas26l Upper Canadian Plateau26m Canadian Canyons26n Conchas/Pecos Plains26o Central New Mexico Plains26p Pluvial Lake Basins26q Southern New Mexico Dissected Plains
79 Madrean Archipelago79a Apachian Valleys and Low Hills79b Lower Madrean Woodlands79c Madrean Pine-Oak and Mixed Conifer Forests
Level III ecoregionLevel IV ecoregionCounty boundaryState boundaryInternational boundaryContinental divide
