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During the third week of April 2010, the New Mexico Highlands University (NMHU) Surface Hydrology and Watershed Management students, as supervised by, Dr. Craig Conely and Dr. Edward Martinez, studied the Mora River watershed by measuring flows and stream morphology characteristics. Largely, the Mora River watershed is located on the eastern slopes of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in the northeastern, New Mexico and is approximately 1,476-mi². The Mora River flows eastward into the plains of New Mexico and drains into the Canadian and Arkansas rivers. Recharge to the Mora River watershed occurs by means of surface waters. Agricultural activities such as livestock watering and irrigation are primary uses for the waters and drinking water is typically gained via groundwater. During the 2-day study, present-day conditional status evaluation of the river took place. The Mora River reach, after analysis, appeared to be recovering from disturbance. Natural ecologic recovery of the river determination involved measuring cross sectional profiles, longitudinal profiles, and recording parameters such as natural meanders and point bar development along the stream reach.

flyer for May 12, 2016 public meeting

Poster: Snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina) are not well studied in New Mexico, and they have not been studied with relation to invasive species in Northern New Mexico. Recently, there have been many studies on herpetofauna and their responses to the invasive American bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus) along the Mora River at the Rio Mora National Wildlife Refuge. In a past study, bullfrogs were eradicated experimentally for a basis to learn about their impacts on native species. Snapping turtles live in the same habitats as bullfrogs and their hatchlings are potentially prey for bullfrogs. After bullfrogs eradication we have found neonate snapping turtles while no neonates were seen in the area where bullfrogs are still present. So I surmise that bullfrogs may have an impact on the population of snapping turtles. In this study I will evaluate the behavior and abundance of both adult and juvenile snapping turtles in response to the presence or absence of bullfrog. I will equip 8 snapping turtles with ATS radio telemetry transmitters and follow them for the next year documenting their preferred habitat, mating and nesting grounds. I will also perform systematic mark and capture throughout the summer to understand their demography and distribution. Understanding the habitat that snapping turtles select will help land managers incorporate protection of these habitats for this unrecognized and elusive species. Not only will this study provide baseline data on the behavior of snapping turtles in this region, it will provide a better understanding of the interactions between invasive and native species.

Poster: The introduction of Bullfrogs (Lithobates catesbeianus) has a negative impact on native species by out competing them for food and habitat. Woodhouse toads (Anaxyrus woodhousii) are among the native species to the Rio Mora National Wildlife Refuge (RMNWR) that co-exists with Bullfrogs. Early on bullfrogs were eradicated from a 2,600 meter section of the Mora River to evaluate the impact of their eradication on the local fauna while a control site of the river was left untouched where bullfrog density did not change. A parallel study on the diet of the euthanized bullfrogs found the presence of Woodhouse toads in their diet. The goal of this project is to investigate the impact of bullfrogs on Woodhouse toads by using three methods to determine differences between the control and experimental sites: (1) Determine abundance via two methods: A) a mark-recapture study demographic parameters (rate of increase, survival, capture rate). Distance sampling using random or systematic transects in the study area; (2) comparison of demographic structure using the animals caught in both sites; and (3) radio telemetry to explore habitat use and mobility of the Woodhouse toad as well as how it is affected by the presence of Bullfrogs.

Poster: To clearly understand the current status of the Mora River at Wind River Ranch a comprehensive water quantity and quality long-term monitoring study is being conducted. The goal of this project is to monitor several hydrology and water quality parameters to determine long-term changes and/or trends in the hydrology and quality of the Mora River at the Rio Mora National Wildlife Refuge. These parameters will be integrated into a question driven long-term monitoring project that will allow us to investigate specific issues as they are related to climate change and the activities occurring at the Rio Mora Refuge and within the Mora River Watershed. Water quality sondes have been deployed at two sites and have been recording the physiochemical parameters continuously since July 2013. In addition water samples have been collected twice monthly at these sites for nutrient concentration determination. Preliminary data indicates that daily and seasonal fluctuations exist for all parameters measured.

Call for proposals for "Biodiversity and Management of the Madrean Archipelago Conference", May 14-18, 2018 in Tucson, Arizona

Bison face a variety of threats to their long-term survival as a species, including the spread of new diseases, low genetic diversity, and the introgression of domestic cattle genes. At Wind River Ranch (WRR), NM, we are studying the genetic diversity and cattle hybrid status of the resident wild bison herd to ensure its conservation significance. Three WRR bison were identified cattle hybrids using a mitochondrial marker. WRR has two distinct bison mitochondrial lineages, one unique to WRR, and one shared by bison at Yellowstone, the National Bison Range, the Texas State Bison Herd, and the Fort Niobrara NWR.

The means to control and manage against the effects of invasive species has not been well explored. We believe that an understanding of the habitat preference by an invasive species provides a theoretical background on which to base habitat management decisions. In this study we utilize temperature sensitive radio telemetry transmitters attached to four adult bullfrogs to document the habitat preference of post-metamorphic bullfrogs on the Mora River located at Wind River ranch in northern New Mexico. Preliminary data for the month of July, suggests a strong correlation between time spent in daytime hours and banks consisting of heavy or thick vegetation. This study provides a foundation on which to develop effective strategies to better manage and control invasive American bullfrogs in the lower watershed riparian ecosystem of the Mora River in northern New Mexico.

American Bullfrogs are considered an invasive species in 11 of the Western United States. As any invasive, they can have a large ecological impact on the ecosystems they inhabit. This study includes the eradication of bullfrogs from the experimental site in order to compare population densities of the native amphibians between the control and experimental regions. The captured bullfrogs from the experimental site are euthanized and the contents of their stomachs evaluated in order to get a comprehensive representation of their diet to gauge the possible affects they are having on the declining native populations.

This study focused on three main concepts, 1) the impacts of juniper encroachment on hydrologic systems in western grasslands and woodlands, 2) the effects of management and restoration on water budgets, and 3) the distribution, fate, and impact of aquatic pollutants.