| Ownership |
Tommy Bolack, Farmington, NM |
| Habitats |
River, Artificial ponds, Cottonwood bosque, Grassland/shrubland |
| Land-use |
The ranch is primarily dedicated
to Nature and Wildlife Conservation with the secondary purpose of
Agriculture/Livestock. |
| Threats |
Invasive/non-native plants, Feral dogs/cats. |
| Site Criteria |
State conservation species (D1), State waterfowl (D4ii) |
| Site Description |
Five miles of intact riparian habitat along
the San Juan River. 100 acres (42 hectares) are in agricultural production. Much
of the rest is wildlife habitat and grazing. Uplands include Piñon-juniper
woodlands. Nine ponds are used by winter waterfowl. |
| Birds |
This area and nearby Morgan Lake are the most important wintering
areas for geese and dabbling ducks in San Juan county. Almost 20000 of these
(primarily Canada Goose and Mallard) winter on the ranch. The observations from
the Farmington Christmas Bird Count capture the numbers of ducks and geese that
move between the various lakes in the area. A few other species of
conservation concern also winter in these habitats including Wood
Duck, Lesser Scaup, Redhead, and Canvasback. |
| Conservation Issues |
Invasive plants and non-native predators. They are trapping
wild dogs and cats. Bobcats are left alone. Management is aware of a number of
invasive exotics and actively seeks to reduce or eliminate plants except for
Russian Olive. |
| Conservation Plan |
|
| Monitor(s) |
None assigned. |
| Nominator |
Christopher Rustay, 1824 Stanford Drive NE, Albuquerque, NM,
87106 |
| Sources |
Christmas Bird Counts [NMFA] 1995-2004 (CBC) |
| Links |
|
| Directions |
|
