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Southwestern Rivers > Pecos
River
Pecos River
The Pecos River starts high in the headwaters of the Sangre de
Cristo Mountains just east of Santa Fe before winding its way
southward across the High Southern Plains and the Chihuahuan
Desert where it then meets the Rio Grande. A series of dams and
large irrigation districts capture the majority of the river’s
water and use it to flood irrigate alfalfa, cotton and pecans.
The Pecos is one of the most biologically unique river systems
in the United States with a large number of species that occur
here and nowhere else. As just one example, places like Bitter
Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, through which the Pecos
traverse, have become well known for having one of the most
diverse assemblages of dragon flies on the planet.
Forest Guardians efforts to protect the Pecos focus on the
headwaters and the lowwaters. In the headwaters we’ve challenged
livestock grazing in the Pecos Wilderness on the Santa Fe
National Forest. Down river, we’re working to change the way the
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
manage large dams and reservoirs. Currently the river is managed
as a private plumbing system. We seek to enforce the Endangered
Species Act and to preserve imperiled species such as the Pecos
bluntnose shiner, the Pecos pupfish and the Pecos sunflower.
For specific questions about our Southwest river protection efforts,
contact John
Horning,
Executive Director.
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