The Southwest Rivers Program was formed through a partnership by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), public agencies and corporations to develop new strategies and provide additional resources to existing efforts that address the pressing conservation needs of the region. The program is currently focusing on three watersheds; the Pecos watershed in eastern New Mexico and West Texas, the Rio Grande in New Mexico and southern Colorado, and the Colorado River watershed in Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah.
Partners
In the southwestern United States, several iconic rivers, including the Colorado, Pecos, and Rio Grande, define the landscape. These rivers are the lifeblood of this arid region, providing critical resources for local communities and wildlife as they descend from headwaters in lodgepole and ponderosa pine forests through the Chihuahuan, Mohave and Sonoran Deserts. As more and more people are drawn to the Southwest by its natural beauty and abundant sunshine, and droughts grow longer and more frequent, the demands on these watersheds increase, altering habitats and resources for wildlife.
Wildlife species found in the desert Southwest are uniquely adapted to their harsh but beautiful landscape, and many are found nowhere else on earth. This is particularly true for fish and other species that call the narrow green ribbons surrounding rivers home. Many of these species are now found only in small portions of their historic ranges, as these rivers have been significantly altered by human development and threatened by drought.
Adjacent to these ribbons of green are dryland habitats supporting a similarly impressive diversity of species that are also at risk. The native grasslands of the Chihuahuan Desert are home to many bird species, such as the Chestnut Collared Longspur, that migrate more than one thousand miles from summer ranges on the Northern Great Plains to very restricted winter ranges. Other grassland species, including the iconic pronghorn, have seen their ranges diminished by fragmentation and historic management practices that have led to encroachment by undesirable brush species.
The Southwest Rivers Program works to:
- Improve stream corridors, riparian systems, and associated habitats from headwaters to mainstem rivers
- Improve rangeland for grassland species
- Develop a flow and habitat program with partners in the Middle Rio Grande
The Southwest Rivers Program will fund effective conservation projects that achieve measurable outcomes and fill knowledge gaps where they exist, reinvigorating habitats throughout this unique American landscape.
| Southwest Rivers Business Plan | Download the PDF |
Related Species
Cutthroat trout
Cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii) encompasses a number of distinct trout subspecies. These are iconic denizens of western landscapes, known for the red "cutthroat" under their jaw. They are associated with cold, clean, highly oxygenated streams, though many of the forms live in lakes and one is anadromous. Cutthroat trout are impacted by stream barriers, invasive fish and de-watering of their habitat.
Southwest willow flycatcher
The southwestern willow flycatcher, a subspecies of the broadly distributed willow flycatcher, is a small songbird that is currently listed as "Endangered" under the Endangered Species Act and breeds in densely vegetated riparian buffers throughout the southwest. The loss of these native riparian habitats along with water diversion for agriculture, invasive vegetation and brood parasitism by brown-headed cowbirds have caused major declines in abundance for this subspecies.
American beaver
The North American beaver, the largest rodent species in North America, are primarily aquatic and highly social. Considered to be ecosystem engineers, beavers construct dams to flood areas for forage and protection that also provide crucial habitat for other aquatic and wetland species.
