Socorro Nature Area BLM Trail Guide · The shrub to the left is a New Mexico olive (Forestiera...

RULES:

• Becauseoffragilesoils,itiseasytodisturbthebalanceofnature-please stay on designated trails.

• Smokeonlyinyourvehicle.Smolderingtobaccoproductscanstartfires.

• Collectingisnotallowed.Pleaseleaveflowers,rocks,andothermaterialsundisturbedforotherstoenjoy.

• Petsareallowedonlyonaleash.Pleasecleanupafteryourpet.

“Learn from

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Socorro Nature Area Trail Guide

BLM

Welcome to Your BosqueExplore & Enjoy!

To conserve costs and resources please return this guide to the box

Thank you.

WelcometoauniqueecosystemintheUnitedStates,thecottonwood-willowbosque(“bosque”isSpan-

ishfor“riverforest”).InNewMexico,thebosqueconsistsofanarrowribbonofgreen,nearlycontinuousforover150milesalongtheRioGrande,fromCochitiReservoirnearSantaFetoElephantButteReservoirnearTruthorConsequences.

Historically,theRioGrandebosquewasacommonsforthepeopleofthevalley.Itprovidedresidentswithwater,food,andwoodforcooking,heating,andconstruction.Intheearly1930s,theentirestretchofriparianhabitatwasdeededintrusttotheMiddleRioGrandeConser-vancyDistrict.

Intheearly1900s,thebosquewasnaturallyinastateofconstantchange.Astheriverchangedcourse,wetareasdriedoutanddryareasbecamewaterlogged.Mostofthiswaterloggingwasaresultofpermanenthumansettlementactivities,suchasprovidingshelterandraisingfood,alongtheriver.Smalldamsanddiversionsslowedtheriver,resultingindepositsofsedimentalongtheriverbed.

IntheMiddleRioGrandebasin,astheriverbeddepos-itedsilt,itschannelwasraisedhigherabovethevalleyfloor.Groundwaterlevelsrosealongwiththeriver,andpercolationfromirrigationditchesraisedthewaterlevelsevenmore.By1920,theaveragedepthtothewatertableinthisareawas2.5feet.Orchardsandalfalfafieldswereabandoned.Itwasn’tuntilthe1930s,whentheConservancydrainedthemarshlandalongtheriver,thatthebosquebecameestablishedasacontinuousecosys-tem.

TheBureauofLandManagementhasworkedcoopera-tivelywithavarietyofFederal,state,county,andprivateagenciestoachievelong-termprotectionofthisareaandenhanceitsuniquevalues.

Todownloadthisguide,visitusat:www.blm.gov/nm/socorro_field_office

HISTORYOFTHE“SAVEOURBOSQUE”TASKFORCE

ThisTaskForceisanonprofitcorporation,formedin1994bycitizensofSocorroCounty,concernedaboutdegradationoftheRioGrandebosque.Threatstothebosqueincludeillegaldumping,off-roadvehicleuse,illegalfuelwoodcutting,andwildfires.ThegoaloftheTaskForceistoenhancetheriparianhabitatandincreaseenvironmentalawareness,whilecontinuingtosupportrecreationalusesoftheriverandwoodlands.HereattheSocorroNatureArea,theTaskForcehaspledgedtoprotectandrestoreasmallpieceofthebosqueecosystem.ThisprojectisacooperativeeffortamongtheTaskForce,U.S.BureauofLandManagement,U.S.BureauofReclamation,U.S.Fish&WildlifeService,NMStateForestry,MiddleRioGrandeConservancyDistrict,CountyofSocorro,CityofSocorro,SocorroSoil&WaterConservationDistrict,andSocorroChamberofCommerce.

How Can You be Involved?The Save Our Bosque Task Force (SOBTF) sponsors periodic clean-ups along the bosque in Socorro County. If you would like to be notified of clean-up times and places, call the New Mexico State Forestry at 575-835-9359. Further informa-tion about the SOBTF, its members, and its activi-ties can be found on the website, www.sobtf.org.

TRAIL SIGNSA=Trail AB=Trail B

Both trails are rated as “easy”

TRAIL: TheSocorroNatureAreaallowsyoutoenjoytheever-changingenvironmentofthebosque.Bytheendofyourjourney,youwilldiscoverwhythisareaplayssuchanimportantroleinourecosystem.

Alongthetrail,takeamomenttostop,listenandsmell.Doyousmellthesweetfragranceofalfalfagrowingintheadjacentfieldorthewarmscentofthemesquitebushthatgrowsalongthisbosque?Maybeyouhearthesoundsoflizardsrustlingunderneaththedryleaves.Howmanydifferentbirdmelodiesdoyouhear?Inthebosquearea,bird-watchingcanbeveryproductivedependingontheseason.Paycloseatten-tiontoyoursurroundingsandyoumaybesurprisedatwhatyousee!

STATIONS:B-1.HereattheamphitheaterwearestandingonthehistoricfloodplainoftheRioGrande.Beforedamswerebuiltupstreamalongwiththeseriesofdrains,canals,anddiversionsthatparalleltheriver;theriverwouldfloodinthespring.Often,thisareawouldbeunderwaterforweeksatatime.Duringsuchtimes,nutrient-richsediment,cottonwood,andwillowseedsweredepositedonthefloodplain.Thefloodingriverwouldcarvenewchannels,althoughthesechannelsarenowlongabandonedandfilled.Inthisarea,cotton-woodandwillowgrovesbecameestablishedalongsidethechannels.Noticethestraightlineofcottonwoodsbeyondthesitemarker-thismarkstheedgeofsuchanoldchannel.

B-2.Thebushtoyourrightisfour-wingsaltbush(Atriplex canescens),ashrubbymemberofthegoosefootfamily(spinachandbeetsarecultivatedmembersofthesamefamily).Saltbushisanativedryplainsspeciesthatcommonlygrowsindisturbedareas.Attheendofthesummer,thetinyyellowflowersproducedistinctive,lightgreen,four-wingedseedcapsules.Deer,antelope,andrabbitsbrowseontheshrub,whilebirdsandothersmallanimalseattheseeds.

TheshrubtotheleftisaNewMexicoolive(Forestiera pubescens),alsoknownasNewMexicoforestieraordesertolive.InNewMexico,theoliveiscommonlyfoundalongstreamsandinrivervalleys,whereitcangrowupto10feethigh.Grayish-greenovalleavesap-pearafterthetinyyellowishflowersbloominAprilandMay.

BLM/NM/GI-11-05-8000

Bureau of Land ManagementSocorro Field Office901 S. Highway 85Socorro, NM 87801

575/835-0412www.blm.gov/nm

Leave No Trace: Plan ahead and prepare - Travel and camp on durable surfaces - Dispose of waste properly - Leave what you find - Minimize campfire impacts - Respect wildlife - Be considerate of other visitors.

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B-3.SaltcedarorTamarisk(Tamarix spp.)isnativetodesertsoftheMiddleEast.Itwasimportedtothisareainthe1940sasashadetree,mainlyforerosioncontrolbutalsoasanornamental.InNewMexico,saltcedarsuccessfullynaturalizedalongwatersources.Itformsimpenetrablethicketsthatconsumemorewaterthannativespecies.

Effortstoeradicatethisnon-nativespeciesareexpensivebutongoing.Treatmentincludescuttingeverylimbandapplyingherbicide.

Althoughsaltcedartypicallygrowsonly15-20feettall,underidealconditionstheycangrowtoover40feet.Inspringandsummer,saltcedarproduceslargeclustersofattractive,tiny,pinkish-purpleflowers.Birdsandsomesmallanimalshaveadaptedtothesaltcedar,whilehon-eybeeshavefoundtheflowerstobeasourceofnectar.

B-4.ThetreebehindyouisaRus-sianolive(Elaeagnus angustifolia),aspeciesnativetosouthernEuropeandwesternAsia.Similartothetamarisk,thisnon-nativespecieswasintroducedasanornamentalshadetreeandawindbreak.InNewMexico,theRus-

sianoliveisfoundinmoistgroundalongstreamsandroadsides.Abundantyellowflowerscreateaspicyaromainthespring.Thesilvery-coloredsmallfruitsremainonthetreewellafteralltheleaveshavedropped,providingbirdfoodthroughoutthewinterandearlyspring.

Continuing on the A Trail...

A-5.Thepalewolfberry(Lycium pal-lidum)isanativememberofthenight-shadefamily,whichincludestomatoes,potatoes,eggplants,peppers,andto-bacco.Thisspeciesisoneofthemostvaluableshrubsinthisarea.Althoughtheshrubcanreach6feetinheight,3feetismorecommon.Theleavesareshinyandtheflowersaretrumpet-shaped,yellowish-greentolavenderincolor.Someofthewolfberryplantshavethorns.Livestock,birds,andmanyotheranimalseatthesmalltomato-likefruits.Someani-malsalsousethefoliageforcoverandroosting.

A-6.Fromhere,youhaveaviewofoneoftheirrigatedfarmsthatsharethefloodplainwiththecottonwood-willowbosqueecosystem.AlthoughfarmlandhasbeencultivatedalongtheRioGrandeforcenturies,thesecommercialfarmswerenotpossibleuntilaftertheMiddleRioGrandeConservancyDistrictwasformedin1925.Atthattime,theConservancyundertookanengineeringplanforanenormousareafromCochitiLakenearSantaFetoElephantButteLakenearTruthorConsequences.Goalsweretodraintheswamplandsalongtheriver,providefloodcontrolintheRioGrandeValley,andprovideirrigationwatertofarmers.

Mostfarmscouldnotsurvivewithoutirrigationwaterfromtheriver.ThewateristransportedfromtherivertothefarmsbyasystemofcanalsandditchesinSpanish,“acequias.”By1936,theConservancyhaddug342milesofdrainagecanaland475milesofirrigationcanal.

Themajorcropsinthispartofthevalleyarealfalfaandotherkindsofhayaswellaschilepeppers.Permanentgrasspasturesarealsomaintainedforfeedinghorses,cattle,andsheep.In2007thetotalvalueofagriculturalproductiononConservancy-irrigatedacreagewasover$40million.

A-7.TRASH!Illegallydumpedtrashisanexampleofoneofthewaysinwhichhumanshavedamagedthebosque.Human-madematerialsbiodegradeveryslowlyinthisdryclimate.

A-8.Lookatthelineofsmallvalleycottonwoodtrees(Populus deltoides)infrontofyou.Partofthewillowfamily,thesetreesareconsideredtobe“newgrowth”becausetheyarerelativelyyoung.

Nownoticethedifferencebetweentheareaofyoungcottonwoodsandthescrubareatotherightthathasonlyafewscatteredcottonwoods.Thecottonwoodzoneislocatedongroundthatisacoupleoffeethigherthanthescrubbyzone.Thescrubbyzoneisarelativelyyoungpartoftheriverchannel,whereasthecottonwoodzoneisanolder,morestablearea.

A-9.Aheadisagroveofnativehoneymesquite(Proso-pis glandulosa),asmalltreethatisgreatlyappreciatedbymanydesertdwellers.Thelong,straight,non-splittingseedsareadesirablefoodforwildlifeandlivestock.Eventhoughtheylookshrubby,mesquitescangrow30feettall.Taprootsupto150feetdeepallowthemtothriveinmanyareasoftheDesertSouthwest.Becausethewatertableisveryshallowhere,thetreesdon’tgrowsuchlongtaproots.

Toyourleftontheothersideofthetrail,isanothernativetree.AtypeofblackwillowknownasGoodding’swillow(Salix gooddingii).ThisshadetreerangesovermostofthewesternUnitedStates,generallygrowinginmoistareas.Itsleavesarelongandtapertoapoint,andareeasilyvisibleinMayandearlyJune.Muledeerandcattlefavorthewil-lowtwigsandleaves.

A-10.Asyourelaxonthebenchmadeofrecycledplastic,lookatthecottonwoodsinthisarea.Whydoyouthinktheyhavegrownsobentandtwisted?

A-11.Thisfallencottonwoodtreeisnowthehomeofmanyorganisms,includingbacteria,fungi,andinsects.Theseorganismsdecomposethedeadfallandreleasenutrientsfromthelogintothesoil,nourishmicroscopicorganismsandinsects.

Thelargegrassclumpisgiantsacaton(Sporobolus wrightii),adrop-seedbunchgrassthatinhabitsaridandsemi-aridregions.

A-12.Youarenowinanoldgrowthstandofavarietyofthevalleycotton-woodoftenknownasthe“RioGrandecottonwood”(ssp.wislizenii).Thelargertreeshereareabout80yearsoldandhavenearlyreachedtheirmatureheightofabout50-60feet.Thesecottonwoodsproducemaleandfemaleflowersonseparatetrees.Maturefemaleseedsarecoveredwithwhitecottonthatgivesthetreestheirnameandpermitswidedispersalbythewind.

Thebrownobjectsstickingoutofthedeadtreearecalledbracketfungi,“conks,”orinSpanish,“hongos.”Thefungifeedondecayingmatter.Theseshelforbracketfungigrowveryslowly.Pleaseleavetheremaininghongosforalltoobserveandlearnabout.

A-13.Noticethedeadtreetrunkbeyondthegrassclump.Thisisanexcellentexampleofnutrientrecycling.Asbac-teria,fungi,andinsectscombinetoslowlybreakdowntheinteriorofthetrunk,thetree’snutrientsarerecycledbackintothesoil.

A-14.Screwbeanmesquite(Prosopis pubescens)reachesthenorthernlimitofitsNewMexicodistributioninthispartoftheRioGrandeValley.Thelong,skinnyflowerheadslooklikecaterpillarsandappearinlatespring.Thetightlywoundbeans(whichresemblescrews,“tornillos”inSpanish)matureinthefall.

A-15.Weareagainattheedgeoftheoldriverchannel.Ifyouarehereinthesummer,youwillsurelyexperienceanoticeabletemperaturechangeasyoufollowthetrail.Justahead,thetrailleavestheprotectivecanopyofthecotton-woodsandcrossesshrubland.

A-16.Duringthesummer,thetemperaturehereisnoti-cablywarmerthaninthecottonwoodgrove.Theanimalsandvegetationarealsodifferenthere,astheresultoftheabsenceofshade.

Innaturalecosystems,certainspeciesofplantsreplaceoneanotherovertime.Eventually,astablegroupofspecieswilloccupytheareauntilit’sdisturbedbyanactofnaturesuchaswildfire,flooding,ordrought.Thischangeinplantspe-ciesiscalleda“habitatsuccession.”

Canals,ditches,anddrainsintheriverfloodplainareimportanthabitatforbirds,turtles,muskrats,fish,gophers,beavers,andotheranimals.Themaintainedroadsalongtheditchesarealsoimportantrec-reationalpathwaysforlocalpeoplewho

choosetowalk,bicycle,orridehorses.

A-17.Theblacksubstanceinfrontofyouisknownasa“cryptobioticcrust.”Takecarenottosteponthisareaordamageitinanyway.Thecrustwasformedby“cyano-bacteria”(blue-greenalgae),whichswellwhenwetandbindsoilparticlestogether.

A-18.Noticethesandbarinfrontofyouthatisseveralfeethigherthanthetrail.Thissandbarillustratestheeffectthatvegetationhasonerosion.Rootsoftreeshavestabi-lizedthesoil,protectingitfromtheerosiveeffectsofwindandwater.

A-19.Lookatthevarietyoftreesinthisoneclump:cottonwood,Russianolive,NewMexicoolive,andsaltcedar.Thisclumptypifiesthediversityofnativeandnon-nativetreesintheNatureArea.

A-20.Thisisthelow-flowconveyancechannel,builtbytheMiddleRioGrandeConservancyDistrictinthe1930sand1940s.Thislargecanalhasseveralfunctions.Itcancarryaconsiderableamountoffloodwater,itswaterisdivertedforirrigation,anditconveyswatertotheElephantButteReservoirwhentheRioGrandeislow.Also,noticethehighleveeonthefarsideofthechannel.Itwasbuiltfromthesandandgraveltakenoutofthechannelandisdesignedtopreventfuturefloodsfromdamagingfarmlandstothewest.

A-21.Broomdalea(Psorothamnus scoparius),a.k.a.purplesage,isacommon,drought-resistantnativeshrubthatisoftenfoundonsandyhillsidesalongtheRioGrande.Thisplanthasrootsthatefficientlybindthesoil,whichmakesitgoodforerosioncontrol.

A-22.Thecactushereisthecommondesertplanttreecholla(Cylindropuntia imbricata).Itcangrowupto15feettallwithatrunkdiameterof10inches.Inearlysummer,thechollaproduceslargeredtopurpleflowers.Yellowfruitsthatdevelopfromtheflowersremainontheplantthroughthewinter.

A-23.TheNatureAreaishometoagreatnumberofbirds,includinglargebirdsofprey,suchashawksandeagles.Duringthewinter,youmayseecranesandgeese.Smallerbirdsincludesparrows,wrens,nuthatches,war-blers,andhummingbirds.

Re-Joining the B Trail...

B-24.Noticethelonesoaptreeyucca(Yucca elata)tothewest.Theyuccasaremembersofthelilyfamilyandarepollinatedonlybytheyuccamoth.Theyuccaandthemothneedoneanothertosurvive.Thisrelationshipiscalledinterdependence.

B-25.Thevalleycottonwoodshereareabout30yearsold.Allcottonwoodsarewelcomesightsforhumansandanimalsinthesouthwestbecausetheygrowwherethereiswater.Theyprovideshadefromthesummersunandalsoserveashabitatforbirdsandwildlife.

B-26.Pond.Thishuman-madefeaturecreatesabalancebetweenwater,plantsandanimalsfoundattheNatureArea.Originallyjustasandbar,withtheaidofwater,ithasbeentransformedintoaplacetostudynature’sbest.

B-27.FirehasalwaysplayedanimportantroleintheSocorroNatureAreaecosystem.Non-nativespeciessuchassaltcedarandRussianolivearebeingaggressivelytreatedandburnedtoreducetheirinfestationandtoallowthecottonwoodsandwillowstothrive.

B-28.Meadowsarealsoanimportantpartofthenaturalecosystem.Afterspringfloodsscouredtheriverbedandsometimescausedittochangeitscourse,grassesandforbswouldestablishinthemeadows.Slowly,overtime,theshrubs,cottonwoods,andwillowshavebecomeestablished,resultinginthematurebosquethatishometoadiversityofinsects,amphibians,reptiles,mammals,andbirds.

We hope you have enjoyed your day at the Socorro Nature Area!