A Field Guide to the Plants and Animals of the Middle Rio Grande Bosque [Paperback]

Jean-Luc E. Cartron (Author), David C. Lightfoot (Author), Jane E. Mygatt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 16, 2008

Extending from the spillway below Cochiti Dam, about fifty miles north of Albuquerque, to the headwaters of Elephant Butte Reservoir, near Truth or Consequences in the southern portion of New Mexico, the Middle Rio Grande Bosque is more than a cottonwood woodland or forest. It is a complete riverside ecosystem, among the more important in the world's arid regions.

Every day hundreds of visitors to the bosque encounter flora and fauna they can't identify. Researchers and municipal, county, state, and federal resource agency personnel concerned with the bosque's management need to know how plants and animals are linked to their habitats.

With descriptions of more than seven hundred plants and animals illustrated with color photographs, this authoritative guide is the first of its kind for the Middle Rio Grande Bosque and is an invaluable resource for land managers, teachers, students, eco-buffs, and nature enthusiasts. It also reveals the important role the bosque plays in New Mexico's natural heritage.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Including over 800 color photos, this authoritative guide is the first of its kind for the Middle Rio Grande Bosque of New Mexico.

About the Author

Jean-Luc E. Cartron (M.D., 1991, University of Paris Val de Marne, France; and Ph.D., 1995, Biology, University of New Mexico) is a research assistant professor at UNM and the director of the Drylands Institute New Mexico office. He has written numerous articles on raptor ecology and is the editor of Biodiversity, Ecosystems, and Conservation in Northern Mexico.

David C. Lightfoot is a research associate professor with the Museum of Southwestern Biology (MSB), UNM, and a senior ecologist with SWCA Environmental Consultants.

Jane E. Mygatt is a senior collection manager with the Museum of Southwestern Biology, UNM.

Product Details

• Paperback: 391 pages
• Publisher: University of New Mexico Press (November 16, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0826342698
• ISBN-13: 978-0826342690
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #662,110 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Guide to a Complex System, May 2, 2009

By 

David B Richman (Mesilla Park, NM USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Field Guide to the Plants and Animals of the Middle Rio Grande Bosque (Paperback)

I should admit from the start that I know or have met most of the authors of "A Field Guide to the Plants and Animals of the Middle Rio Grande Bosque," have published with one (Lightfoot) and am in the process of publishing with another (Brantley). I am also a biologist who has some knowledge of the Rio Grande and its various ecosystems.

That said this is a most impressive guide for anyone who would like to get acquainted with a damaged, but still diverse, area of our planet. One thing this guide shows graphically is that there are few areas of the planet that are lacking in interest. For years many general field guides have focused more often than not on the eastern half of the country, although this tendency is slowly being corrected. This guide, worked up primarily by the curators at the Museum of Southwestern Biology at the University of New Mexico, demonstrates that the biota of the Middle Rio Grande Bosque (river forest) is well worth a close examination. It is a indication of the real diversity of the Bosque that only a fraction of some groups has been covered in a fairly lengthy book. Still it does include representatives of many obscure taxa (like lichens and pseudoscorpions for example) and the more common members of the more well know taxa- vascular plants, insects, reptiles, birds and mammals.

Most of the photographs are very good (although a few could be improved). My only real gripe is that they could have been a bit larger. The discussions are well done and I have so far found few mistakes.

The river bosques and other riparian habitats of the Southwest have had virtually no good references and this is a great start. Anyone visiting the Middle Rio Grande Bosque, or any part of the Rio Grande in New Mexico should have this book.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great field guide, November 22, 2008

By 

A. L. Vaughan (Albuquerque, NM USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Field Guide to the Plants and Animals of the Middle Rio Grande Bosque (Paperback)

This is a wonderful addition to our collection of SW and western field guides. Handy to have one book with plants & animals likely to be found in the bosque.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Field Guide to the Plants and Animals of the Middle Rio Grande Bosque, January 14, 2009

By 

Cactus Cat (Albuquerque, NM USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Field Guide to the Plants and Animals of the Middle Rio Grande Bosque (Paperback)

I grew up in the Middle Rio Grande Bosque area and have lived here for years. It is very refreshing to have a book that is specific to this area. I would recommend it to newcomers, visitors, and long time residents as an excellent resource for the area. I enjoyed looking at a variety of things in the book and saying to myself - "oh, that's what that is!"