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Southwestern Rivers > River
Wildlife at Risk
River Wildlife at Risk
 Water
in an arid land is a magnet for wildlife. In the Southwest,
though waterways represent only 1% of the landscape, they are
vital for more than ¾ of all native fish and wildlife. A century
or more of unregulated water development, dams and livestock
grazing have destroyed much of the habitat of these corridors of
life. According to a 1995 report by the Department of Interior,
the Southwestern cottonwood/willow gallery forest ecosystem is
one of the most endangered ecosystems in all of North America.
Literally dozens of songbirds, fish, mammals, amphibians and
reptiles that are dependent upon these arteries of life are
threatened with extinction.
Our efforts seek to protect all creatures great and small, from
the Rio Grande silvery minnow and the Meadow jumping mouse to
the Bald eagle and River otter. We are actively restoring
waterways, educating the citizenry about ways to protect them
and seeking changes to policies to ensure that all native
species that depend upon waterways are protected.
Pecos bluntnose shiner
Like its endangered relative in the main stem of the Rio Grande,
the Rio Grande silvery minnow, the Pecos bluntnose shiner is
threatened by water diversions to benefit agricultural interests
who divert river water to flood irrigate alfalfa and other water
intensive crops.
Forest Guardians has been working to protect this species by
requiring the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers to modify water management and dam operations to
prevent river drying.
Southwest willow flycatcher
The willow flycatcher is one of the most endangered neotropical
songbirds in all of North America, the result of the near
complete destruction of its forested habitat along the
Southwest’s waterways. Livestock grazing, dams and water
diversions each constitute a significant threat to the species.
Our efforts to eliminate grazing along streams and to ensure
that rivers have rights to their own waters are each helping to
protect and restore waterways such that they can provide habitat
for the endangered flycatcher and many other species of native
wildlife.
Bald Eagle
The Bald Eagle, the very symbol of the positive values of our
Nation, continues to struggle for its very existence in the arid
Southwest. Because the eagle depends on waterways and large
bodies of water it is susceptible to continued decline due to
habitat destruction and pollution.
Our efforts to preserve the Bald Eagle in the Southwest are
focused on protecting the Rio Grande and its Bosque from water
development, the San Juan and Animas Rivers from the negative
effects of oil and gas development and the Verde River from the
threat due to cattle grazing.
For specific questions about our Southwest river protection efforts,
contact John
Horning,
Executive Director.
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