Through permanently altering the Rio Grande, humans have placed this river, and the Rio Grande Cottonwood trees surrounding it, in a state of insecurity. Rio Grande Cottonwood trees are not only a “keystone species,” meaning that they play an important ecological role in the Bosque and Middle Rio Grande ecosystem, they are also a culturally significant and generally beloved species of tree that have touched the hearts and minds of indigenous peoples, famous environmental writers, and countless others who bask in the shade of their instantly recognizable leaves on a stroll through the Bosque.

1. The Middle Rio Grande
Cottonwood Tree:
Iconic New Mexico Flora
With an Uncertain Future
Presentation by: Brian Boney

2. The Rio Grande, an
endangered river
Through permanently altering the Rio Grande, humans
have placed this river, and the Rio Grande Cottonwood
trees surrounding it, in a state of insecurity.
Rio Grande Cottonwood trees are not only a “keystone species,”
meaning that they play an important ecological role in the
Bosque and Middle Rio Grande ecosystem, they are also a
culturally significant and generally beloved species of tree that
have touched the hearts and minds of indigenous peoples,
famous environmental writers, and countless others who bask in
the shade of their instantly recognizable leaves on a stroll
through the Bosque.

3. Anthropocentric
alterations
Modifying, diverting, damming, and eventually
taming this wild beauty to meet anthropocentric
desires is the direct cause of the conditions that
now threaten the Rio Grande Cottonwood tree
and the ecosystem it resides in.
For some time now, it has been the case that humans
cannot take our hands off of the situation. This species of
Cottonwood tree, and the parts of the ecosystem it still
sustains, all depend on constant human involvement in
order to keep them from disappearing form the area and
possibly going extinct entirely.

4. Warning: unsustainable practices have consequences
These mistakes were made not out of hatred
and spite, but simply because homo sapiens
did not know any better at the time. Those
guiding developments that lead to such
ecological peril did not know the extent of
their influence on the natural world, so here
we are reaping the results.
Although some severe
repercussions from unsustainable
exploitation of this river are
unavoidable, it is not too late to
take meaningful, measurable
action in the Middle Rio Grande
Valley as well as all around the
world at any ecologically sensitive
sites. The Rio Grande is not the
only endangered river, and it is far
from the only river in need of
human care.
Please let the realities of
this ecological tragedy in
the Middle Rio Grande
Valley serve as an
informative warning about
the consequences for
neglecting the ecology and
needs of a given
environment anywhere on
Earth.

5. From Indigenous to
invasiveness
Source: Finch & Tainter (2004)
Ecology, Diversity And
Sustainability Of The Middle Rio
Grande Basin
For at least 10,000 years,
the Rio has supported
human life. Earliest
traces of humans in the
valley are known as the
Clovis people.
When the Spanish colonized the area in the 17th Century, changes
to the local cultures and ecosystems took place. Spaniards
brought new foods, political structures, and means of farming
with them. Their influence changed the dominant mode of living
in the area from hunting and substance living to irrigated
agriculture, with irrigation water drawn from the Rio Grande.
After some time of
Turmoil under
Spanish rule, the
USA’s westward
expansion reached
New Mexico,
eventually
colonizing and
acquiring it.
Since the end of the Spanish occupation, an influx of US
settlers experienced many hardships related to the yearly
fluctuating availability of water for irrigation. From this
reality, the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District was
formed in 1925, and was tasked with river and flood
control, irrigation control, and other various water
resource related management.

6. Anthropocentric Changes
• Petrakis et. al. Historical Analysis of Riparian Vegetation Change in Response to Shifting
Management Objectives on the Middle Rio Grande
Crawford et. al.
Middle Rio Grande
Ecosystem: Bosque
Biological
Management Plan
By implementing these measures, habitats became fragmented and the flow of the
river reduced. Through the various dams and other control mechanisms, water gets
held back when in excess instead of being allowed to flood, and the extra water
gets used to provide people with irrigation during dry spells. Although this is helpful
for humans, these conditions are not the ones this ecosystem evolved under for the
past million or more years before the intervention of modern humans.
Through the 1950’s and beyond, this
Conservancy group would make drastic
changes to the river, such as installing dams
and reservoirs, installing levees, installing
and updating irrigation cannels, placing
jetty jacks, building divergence structures,
and constructing flood barriers. These would
be the most damaging changes to the river
so far.

7. • Images from: Crawford et. al. Middle Rio
Grande Ecosystem: Bosque Biological
Management Plan
As we can see from these
illustrations, taming the Rio
Grande had a measurable
effect on not only river size
and flow, but also on the
habitats it supported.
Such a massive decline
in wetlands is a major
indicator of a receding
water table and river
bank.
Impacts of the Alterations

8. Why this spells danger for the Middle Rio
Grande Cottonwood
Seeds of cottonwood trees are dispersed by wind and water.
They do not last in seed banks, only for a few weeks after
dispersal. For a few weeks in late spring is when the trees
disperse their seeds, correlated with the melt from adjacent
mountain ranges that triggered floods.
Source: Evaluation of woody plant restoration in the Middle Rio
Grande: Ten years after
Since humans have altered the river in such a way that
it does not flood periodically as it used to, the natural
processes that have driven the propagation of the
cottonwood tree no longer occur.
This chart shows the age of various patches of cottonwood
trees from a study in 1991. The upper limit of the chart is
70 because that is usually as old as cottonwood trees will
get. Since the study was done 30 years ago, we can see
how many of the trees from this study – as well as in the
Bosque it’s self - are reaching the last stages of their lives.
Source: Howe & Knopf (1991). On the Imminent Decline of
Rio Grande Cottonwoods in Central New Mexico.

9. The Path Forward
Without the seasonal flooding from snow melt, the future of the cottonwood
trees are in the hands of humans now. Many efforts are underway to study,
assess, and chose places to plant seedlings so that the species may continue to
live into the future.
The problem is exacerbated by non-native invasive species, such as the
salt cedar and the Russian olive tree. These invasive species effect the
soil quality by altering the nutrient cycle and soaking up precious water
needed for the Cottonwood tree and other local fauna. Humans must not
only actively plant cottonwoods, but also constantly clear out invasive
species where cottonwood seedlings are planted.
Source: Russian olive, Elaeagnus angustifolia, alters patterns in soil
nitrogen pools along the Rio Grande River, New Mexico, USA
Salt Cedar Russian Olives
Despite the best efforts
of humans, we will live
to see massive changes
in the ecology of the
Bosque as many of the
oldest Cottonwood
trees die off.

10. Resources for gaining a better understanding
of the topic
2) Middle Rio Grande Ecosystem: Bosque Biological Management Plan by Crawford et.
al. – For this presentation, the 1993 version was used since it was easily available for
free as a PDF file online. An updated version released in 2005 can be found as well, it
will likely have more up to date info about the situation
3) Ecology, Diversity, and Sustainability of the Middle Rio Grande Basin by a collection
of various authors. This 9 chapter document goes into great detail about many
aspects of the riparian forest along the Rio Grande, including the Cottonwood tree
and it’s predicament.
1) The Yerba Mansa Project has an eloquent description about the situation of the Bosque
on a quick and easy to read web page at this address
https://yerbamansaproject.org/rio-grande-bosque/

11. Challenges and possible solutions:
One of the biggest challenges regarding the predicament of the Middle Rio
Grande Cottonwood tree, as well as for environments around the world, is
making sure that people understand both the vital importance of ecosystems and
the impacts we can have on them.
Scientists have discovered the invaluable role that natural
ecosystems play in maintaining human and environmental
health. However, this knowledge is not necessarily common.
Ensuring that current and future inhabitants of Earth have a full
comprehension regarding the necessity of healthy ecosystems
will be key for ensuring a more equitable and sustainable
future for all life around the globe.
Addressing the challenge of spreading informed environmental awareness, in my
opinion, starts with early education. Ensuring that young minds across the world are
well informed about the health and functions of their local ecosystems, as well as
the global importance of ecological health, will result in a more environmentally
conscious and concerned global population who is willing to get involved in
preserving what’s left of our precious biodiversity.

12. Challenges and possible solutions:
Another challenge for preserving the health and safety of delicate
ecosystems world wide is ensuring sufficient legislative and policy
driven protection of these areas. New Mexico is a very progressive
state for environmental policy in comparison to many other places,
thankfully. However there are still areas that could be improved, not
just here but everywhere around the world.
Constantly revamping and improving environmental regulations to match
with the latest scientific understandings about the natural world and our
effects on it will be necessary on a global scale moving forward. With
overexploitation and climate change altering natural habitats at an
increasingly alarming pace, legal protection is becoming more vital than
ever.
In order to realize this change, we as concerned citizens must become involved in
political action. Concentrated, localized efforts to protect and preserve our shared
environment can lead to big changes in legislation, and can also serve as motivating
examples for our global community as a whole.

13. Challenges and possible solutions:
Yet another challenge for the Middle Rio Grande Cottonwood tree as
well as environmental protection as a whole is to inform others just
how much things have really changed. It’s hard to fully be concerned
about the present and the future without understanding the past.
Since nobody viewing this presentation has been lucky enough to view
the Bosque in all it’s glory before colonization occurred, we do not fully
grasp the magnitude of change that has taken place at the hands of
humans. This is called “shifting baseline syndrome,” which happens
when environmental changes are gradual enough to be difficult to notice
as new generations are born. What we see today seems normal to us,
but it is far from normal in the context of environments before human
intervention.
This challenge is much more difficult to address. Education is surely part of it, but I think something even
more important than general education is to read stories. Maybe we can’t full grasp the pictures painted
by environmentalists such as David Attenborough, Aldo Leopold, John Muir, or Edward Abbey, we can at
least get their perspectives on the magic of wildernesses before humans changed the landscape. Maybe
through their perspectives, many more can understand the gravity of the changes that the natural world
has gone through.

14. Post COVID: How Environmentalism Helps Everyone
As many of us know, COVID-19 is a result of humans
infringing upon and exploiting natural habitats.
Through the preservation of and reverence for
animals and their natural environments, we can
greatly reduce the chances of animal-to-human
transmissions of deadly viruses.

15. Post COVID: How Environmentalism Helps Everyone
It’s no secret that the USA and some other western
countries are struggling with declining states of physical
and mental health. Through fostering more concern for
our shared environment, and through motivating others
to become involved in local clean-up and restoration
projects, we can provide more opportunities for folks to
get out into nature.
This not only encourages physical
well being, but being out in nature in
the sunlight does wonders for
improving mental health as well

16. Recommendations for actions for a better future
Disseminating information is one of the key challenges to be addressed
for not only the future of the Bosque, but the future of our globally
shared environment. One possible way to do this would be by creating
a series of free, ongoing classes at libraries or other community
centers focused on local environments
These classes could be formatted for various audiences, like children,
young adults, and older members of the community. Guest speakers
involved in local environmental work would add to the relevance and
draw of the programs. Providing an easily accessible community space
for all to come together and become informed about our local
environments seems like an excellent strategy for ensuring the future
preservation of our local environments.

17. Recommendations for actions for a better future
Providing and disseminating information about opportunities for citizens
to become involved in local environmental protection work is another
important thing to consider to ensure the future of our environment.
For instance, although there are several ways to get involved with
planting Cottonwood trees in the Bosque, they do not seem to be very
well advertised. Increased efforts to organize groups for tree planting,
invasive species clearing, and trash pickups coupled with a focused
effort to spread the word in as many ways as possible could increase the
amount of citizen involvement and participation with efforts to protect
and improve the health of the Bosque

18. Recommendations for actions for a better future
In order to secure our future, we need to secure the future of the
environment. Doing this requires legislative and policy protections.
Governments are supposed to work for the people, so if we the people
stand together and make our voices heard, we may be able to influence
local, national, and international legislators to do the right thing and
focus on preserving what’s left of biodiversity.
There are many ways to get involved, such as with organizations like: 350
New Mexico, The Sierra Club, and Environment New Mexico, as well as
many more that can be found on the internet and social media. Creating
local, grassroots movements is another way we can affect change,
especially if we take steps to truly inform and involve citizens with vital
environmental protection efforts.

19. In Conclusion:
The plight of the Bosque and the Middle Rio Grande Cottonwood
tree is a stark reminded of the utter necessity to care for the
natural world. Since we are only recently starting to understand
the impact our species is having, it is up to us to attempt to
address the issues that threaten not only the survival of other
species, but our very own as well
Solutions to environmental issues across the globe do not have a
single solution, but will require many changes to the ways we see
and value the natural world as well as to the ways we interact
with and protect it.
Taking steps, no matter how small, to educate the public,
to create and participate in opportunities aimed at aiding
environmental protection, and to influence politics and
government policies can all have a positive impact on the
future health of the environment and of ourselves.

20. Thanks for watching! I hope this
presentation was as educational as it
was motivational.
Our future is in our hands, and the
biosphere needs our help!

21. Sources:
DeCant, J. P. (2008). Russian olive, Elaeagnus angustifolia, alters patterns in soil nitrogen pools along the Rio Grande River, New Mexico,
USA. Wetlands, 28(4), 896–904. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1672/07-160.1
Finch, D. M., & Tainter, J. A. (2004). Ecology, Diversity And Sustainability Of The Middle Rio Grande Basin. Diane Pub Co.
Howe, W. H., & Knopf, F. L. (1991). On the Imminent Decline of Rio Grande Cottonwoods in Central New Mexico. The Southwestern
Naturalist, 36(2), 218. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3671924?seq=1
Taylor, J. P., Smith, L. M., & Haukos, D. A. (2006). Evaluation of woody plant restoration in the Middle Rio Grande: Ten years after.
Wetlands, 26(4), 1151–1160. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1672/0277-5212(2006)26[1151:EOWPRI]2.0.CO;2
Crawford, C. et. al. (1993). Middle Rio Grande Ecosystem: Bosque Biological Management Plan.
https://webapps.usgs.gov/mrgescp/documents/Crawford et al._1993_Middle Rio Grande Ecosystem Bosque Biological Management
Plan.pd