NRCS New Mexico

Annual Report HELPING PEOPLE 

HELP THE LAND

2011 

United States Department of Agriculture • Natural Resources Conservation Service 

6200 Jeff erson NE • Albuquerque, NM 87109 • (505) 761-4400
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and 

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disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, 

large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and 

TDD). To fi le a complaint of discrimination write to USDA, Director, Offi ce of Civil Rights, 1400 

Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or 

(202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Contents

Quick Facts ........1

2011 Farm Bill & Other Program Funding ........2

Conservation Technical Assistance ........3

Environmental Quality Incentives Program ........4

Wildlife Habitat Incentives Programs ........5

Conservation Stewardship Program ........6

Partnership Programs ........7

Easement & Long-Term Restoration Programs ........8

Rehabilitating Aging Watershed Dams ........9

Los Lunas Plant Materials Center ......10

NRCS Soil Survey Program ......11

Snow Survey & Water Supply Forecasting ......12
The USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

United States Department of Agriculture

Natural Resource Conservation Service

NEW MEXICO

FY 2010 Activities Report

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Quick Facts

Voluntary Private Lands Conservation Assistance in New Mexico

With the mission of “Helping People Help the Land,” the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) 

delivers voluntary programs, products and services that help local people protect and improve natural 

resources on non-federal lands. 

Our locally based NRCS staffs work directly with farmers, ranchers and others to provide technical and 

financial conservation assistance suited to each client’s specific needs. We provide technical information and 

guidance, plan conservation systems and practices, and offer financial assistance for conservation activities 

through the programs of the 2008 Farm Bill. 

These voluntary programs help local people improve land stewardship on working cropland and rangeland, 

conserve water supplies, enhance wildlife habitat, preserve high-quality farmland, protect native plants 

and animals, and improve stream conditions. NRCS programs also provide upstream flood prevention, 

emergency watershed protection, urban conservation, and assistance for local community projects designed to 

improve social, economic and environmental conditions. As a result of our voluntary technical and financial 

assistance, land managers and communities take a comprehensive approach to the use and protection of 

natural resources in rural, urban and developing areas. 

More information about the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in New Mexico is available at: 

www.nm.nrcs.usda.gov.

New Mexico NRCS Fiscal Year 2011 Planning/Application

 4,219,000 acres Conservation Planning Completed 

 196,700 acres Cropland Conservation Applied

 3,592,400 acres Conservation Applied to Improve Water Quality

 60,900 acres of Irrigation Improvement Applied

 4,240,000 acres of Grazing Land Conservation Applied

 3,143,000 acres Conservation Applied to Improve Fish and Wildlife Habitat

 43,900 acres Forest Land Conservation Applied
The USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

United States Department of Agriculture

Natural Resource Conservation Service

NEW MEXICO

FY 2010 Activities Report

| 2 |

FY 11 Financial Assistance Expenditures by Program by Congressional District

Congressional

District* 1 2 3 Total

Environmental

Quality Incentives 

Program (EQIP)

A voluntary program that provides technical, educational, and fi nancial assistance to eligible farmers and 

ranchers to address soil, water, and related natural resource concerns on working agricultural lands.

$565,904 $10,449,544 $10,631,755 $21,647,203

Programs funded through EQIP: 

Agricultural Water 

Enhancement 

Program (AWEP)

A partnership program to leverage EQIP assistance against the funding, staff or other resources of project 

partners to conserve ground and surface water or improve water quality on agricultural lands. 

$0 $27,918 $0 $27,918

Cooperative 

Conservation 

Partnership 

Initiative (CCPI) 

A partnership program to leverage funding through EQIP, WHIP and the Conservation Stewardship Program 

(CSP) against the resources of project partners to address a high-priority natural resource concern. 

$0 $2,391,010 $201,364 $2,592,374

Conservation Stewardship

Program 

(2008 Farm Bill) 

A voluntary stewardship program of the 2008 Farm Bill that promotes ongoing conservation on agricultural 

lands. No new contracts are being written, and NRCS is making payments to fulfi ll existing contracts. 

$174,705 $2,705,649 $2,433,204 $5,313,558

Farm & Ranchland

Protection Program 

(FRPP)

A voluntary program that helps landowners keep their productive land in agriculture through conservation 

easements limiting conversion of property to non-agricultural uses.

$791,000 $600,000

Wetland Reserve Program 

(WRP)

A voluntary program to help landowners restore and protect sensitive wetlands. 

$120,345 $1,500,000 $113,072 $920,118

Grassland Reserve 

Program (GRP)

A voluntary program to help farmers and ranchers protect their grazing land from conversion to other uses. 

$128,566 $1,524,254 $252,972 $1,905,792

Wildlife Habitat

Incentives Program 

(WHIP)

A voluntary program that encourages creation of high quality wildlife habitat that support wildlife populations of national, state, tribal, and local signifi cance.

$36,367 $243,070 $472,801 $752,238

2011 Farm Bill & Other 

Program Funding

The conservation provisions in the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (2008 Farm Bill) are providing 

conservation opportunities for farmers, ranchers, private landowners and communities for years to come. 

The 2008 Farm Bill builds on the conservation gains made through the 1985, 1996 and 2002 Farm Bills. It 

simplifies existing programs and creates new programs to address high priority environmental goals.

A summary of Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 funding provided through some important Farm Bill programs in New 

Mexico is shown below.
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United States Department of Agriculture

Natural Resource Conservation Service

NEW MEXICO

FY 2010 Activities Report

 | 3 |

Conservation Technical 

Assistance

NRCS provides data, information and technical expertise that helps 

people collect and analyze information to identify natural resource 

problems and opportunities, clarify their objectives, and formulate and 

evaluate alternatives. Conservation plans reflect a customer’s decisions 

about the management of natural resources for a specific area, which 

may be a farm or ranch operating unit, a group of units, a community, 

or a landscape feature such as a watershed. Technical consultations and 

planning assistance provide professional advice that helps customers make 

decisions about natural resource management.

Conservation Concepts Fit Like Hand in Glove

Watershed conservation, forest management, cooperative conservation, 

and inclusion of the historically underserved are all concepts that fit like 

a hand in a glove in the Tierra Y Montes Soil and Water Conservation 

District (SWCD) in northern New Mexico. Adoption of numerous 

conservation practices by the owner of the Alexander Milliken Ranch is 

a case in point.

When Milliken purchased the ranch near Las Vegas, New Mexico, 

much of the forest was clogged with overgrowth, and the spread had just 

two wells that only pumped one gallon per minute. The ranch totally 

encompassed the Agua Zarca Watershed which is a tributary of the 

Gallinas River, and the Gallinas provided much of the water supply for 

the Las Vegas community.

Ranch manager Kenny Alderete, turned to the Tierra & Montes SWCD 

to help with forest stand improvement thinning. The USDA Natural 

Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) aided as water resources 

were developed, pipeline laid, cross fencing installed, and prescribed 

grazing management practices adopted. Milliken wanted to establish a 

cattle operation, prevent catastrophic fire, enhance wildlife habitat, and 

develop water resources. Forest thinning and establishing six wells that 

pumped hundreds of gallons of water per minute helped wildlife such as 

elk, turkey, deer, mountain lion, and bobcat habitat flourish. 

The Milliken Ranch conservation work is only one such project in the 

Las Vegas area. The Adelante Resource Conservation & Development 

Council, based in Las Vegas, developed a Cooperative Conservation 

Partnership Initiative grant application to further water quality 

enhancement aspects of large scale work. Adelante partnered with the 

U.S. Forest Service, NRCS, Tierra Y Montes SWCD, New Mexico State 

Forestry, and private landowners in the Gallinas and Tecolote Watershed 

to achieve this goal.

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The USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

United States Department of Agriculture

Natural Resource Conservation Service

NEW MEXICO

FY 2010 Activities Report

| 4 |

Group Partners Bring AWEP Solution to Local Growers

For years, irrigators in the Deming, New Mexico area have been 

looking for ways to keep their farms productive. This was challenging 

as their water wells went down and irrigation, fuels, fertilizer and well 

maintenance costs went up. These farms are located in the Mimbres 

Basin, a closed system where producers rely only on groundwater.

With new partnership program opportunities made available by the 

Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), local groups are 

helping to deliver conservation funding and technical assistance to save 

water with an improved irrigation system on these farms.

In 2009, the Black Range Resource Conservation and Development 

(RC&D) Council and the Deming Soil and Water Conservation District 

(SWCD) submitted a request to direct federal resources to help local 

growers address these issues.

NRCS partnered with the Black Range RC&D and the Deming SWCD 

to jointly deliver conservation assistance to producers in a defined area 

of agricultural land through the Agricultural Water Enhancement 

Program (AWEP). 

NRCS agreed to provide $24 million through the Environmental Quality 

Incentives Program (EQIP) for irrigation system improvements on as 

many as 59 fields and 20 contracts over a four-year period. 

Environmental Quality 

Incentives Program (EQIP)

EQIP is a voluntary program that helps producers install measures to 

protect the soil, water, air, and other resources while ensuring sustainable 

production on farms, ranches and working forest lands. 

Through EQIP, NRCS provides funding and technical expertise to help 

farmers and ranchers and others to address natural resource concerns 

on their land in an environmentally beneficial and cost-effective manner. 

It promotes agricultural production and environmental quality as 

compatible goals and supports activities such as: manure management 

practices, pest management treatments, efficient irrigation upgrades, forest 

stewardship plans and management practices, erosion control and buffers, range 

and pasture planting, fencing and stockwater, and a number of other practices.

Drip irrigation in the area 

can reduce water use 30 to 

50 percent.
The USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

United States Department of Agriculture

Natural Resource Conservation Service

NEW MEXICO

FY 2010 Activities Report

 | 5 |

Wildlife Habitat 

Incentives Program (WHIP)

WHIP helps landowners improve and protect wildlife habitat on private 

and tribal lands. Program priorities for fiscal year 2011 were to:

• Promote restoration of declining or important native habitats;

• Protect, restore, develop or enhance habitat for at-risk species;

• Reduce the impacts of invasive species on wildlife habitats; and

• Protect, restore or enhance declining or important aquatic habitats.

FY 2011 was a record-setting year for the program, with the most WHIP 

funding ever provided to improve habitat in New Mexico. These projects 

have improved habitat on private land for elk, turkey, bear, grouse, 

bighorn sheep, endangered willow flycatchers and other species. These 

projects have emphasized the development of water supplies for wildlife, 

establishment of permanent flood plains, and fencing cattle out of creeks 

and ponds. 

WHIP Focuses Resources on Canadian River 

3rd Congressional District 

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) New Mexico 

offered a second funding opportunity in FY 2011 to New Mexico 

tribal governments, farmers and ranchers through the Wildlife Habitat 

Incentives Program (WHIP). 

NRCS is working with ongoing wildlife projects, such as the Canadian 

River restoration efforts. By merging local programs with WHIP funds 

NRCS was able to extend the treatment area. 

WHIP offers opportunities to landowners to improve and protect wildlife 

habitat on private, State Trust and Tribal lands. Anyone interested in 

entering into a financial assistance agreement with the U.S. Department 

of Agriculture to develop wildlife habitat may file an application at any 

time. The NRCS works with the landowner to develop a wildlife habitat 

development plan.

Projects in New Mexico have improved habitat for elk, turkey, bear, 

shorebirds, desert bighorn sheep, and other species including the 

endangered Southwestern Willow Flycatchers. The projects have 

emphasized the development of water supplies for wildlife, establishment 

of permanent flood plains, and fencing cattle out of creeks and ponds.

More than $750,000 in 

FY 2011 WHIP funding 

helped landowners protect 

and improve conditions for 

wildlife in New Mexico.
The USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

United States Department of Agriculture

Natural Resource Conservation Service

NEW MEXICO

FY 2010 Activities Report

| 6 |

Conservation Stewardship 

Program (CSP)

The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) encourages land stewards 

to improve their conservation performance by installing and adopting 

additional activities, and improving, maintaining, and managing existing 

activities on agricultural land and nonindustrial private forest land. 

Newly authorized in the 2008 Farm Bill, CSP is available for agricultural 

landowners across the nation and replaces the former Conservation 

Security Program.

New Mexico Producers Fare Well in First Statewide Signup

The FY 2011 CSP in New Mexico showed a great deal of interest in 

the program and submitted applications for more acres than almost any 

other state in the nation. 

NRCS entered into 101 CSP contracts to help producers improve and 

enhance conservation activities across the state. Because of the high 

level of interest here, NRCS exceeded the initial New Mexico signup 

allocation of 495,000 acres and enrolled more than 905,792 acres of 

rangeland, cropland and forest lands into the program.

The first sign-up for FY 2011 ended Jan. 21, 2011. NRCS New Mexico 

received more than 280 applications. 

Program payments will be based on individual contract details and will 

help producers install additional conservation measures while benefitting 

local economies.

New Mexico producers 

account for a large amount 

of the 2011 CSP acres 

enrolled in the nation. Their 

program participation will 

increase the conservation 

funding brought to local 

communities. 
The USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

United States Department of Agriculture

Natural Resource Conservation Service

NEW MEXICO

FY 2010 Activities Report

 | 7 |

Partnership 

Programs

NRCS partners with private landowners, state and local governments, 

tribes, pueblos, American Indian nations, agricultural groups, non-profits and others to focus conservation assistance on local projects. Groups 

that address natural resource issues in New Mexico may be able to partner with NRCS to leverage dollars and expertise through the following 

programs:

• Agricultural Water Enhancement Program (AWEP)

• Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiative (CCPI)

• Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG)

• Small Watershed Program 

• NRCS Assistance for Acequia Associations

These programs allow NRCS to work with partners to address highpriority concerns, improve conditions on a landscape scale, and/or 

develop innovative approaches.

Cebolla - Nutrias Project Benefi ts Through Partnerships

Private landowners, local, state, federal and non-profit organizations 

joined in the initiative to resolve some of the natural resource concerns 

in the Cebolla-Nutrias area of northern New Mexico. Cebolla- Nutrias 

Project coordinators Gerald Chacon and Max Martinez outlined the 

three primary concerns – (1) maintain the integrity of the watershed; 

(2) forest health; and (3) the economics of the community (rural 

practices to maintain agricultural integrity).

The partners participating in the 220,000-acre Cebolla-Nutrias Project 

include Cebolla Livestock Association, U.S. Forest Service (Canjilon 

Ranger District), New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, NRCS, 

Bureau of Land Management, New Mexico State Land Office, New 

Mexico Extension Service, and the Upper Chama Soil and Water 

Conservation District. 

Here is a summary of what the Cebolla-Nutrias Project has 

accomplished or is planning:

• Applied for 319 grant

• Applying for EQIP on Mesa De Las Viejas for water development

• Corridor protection of roadway out of Canjilon through USFS

• Forest thinning – Fire protection on private land adjacent to Canjilon 

Corridor 

• US – 84 Corridor project with USFS in planning phase (800 acres 

southeast of Cebolla)

• Watershed Initiative in UCSWCD EQIP proposal for 2012

Chama River

Canyon Wilderness

NM-010-059

Alire

El Vado

Cebolla

Placitas

Canjilon

La Puente

Las Nutrias

Wright Place

Plaza Blanca

El Monte Rojo

Tierra Amarilla

Cebolla Nutrias Project

2 0 2.5 5 1.25 Miles

Resource Inventories and Assessments

KKM,7/7/10

e:/data/cebolla_nutrias/ceb_nut_own.mxd

Legend

STREAMS

Major Roads

Project Boundary

Ownership

BLM

BLM WSA

FS

FS Wilderness

Private

State

Subunit

Arroyo Rincon Blanco

Cebolla Creek

Cebolla Uplands

MesaViejasEsperanza

Rio Nutrias

Land Status

unit own_name sum_acres

Arroyo Rincon Blanco BLM 5000

FS 364

P 17048

S 2718

Cebolla Creek BLM 6756

FS 8

P 17639

S 1897

Cebolla Uplands BLM 6

FS 13925

P 1020

MesaViejasEsperanza BLM 2663

BLMW 7215

FS 28747

FSW 2418

P 6213

S 648

Rio Nutrias BLM 6504

FS 10207

P 39568

S 1824

In FY 2011, NRCS 

funded nearly $2.6

million in CCPI 

conservation contracts in 

New Mexico
The USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

United States Department of Agriculture

Natural Resource Conservation Service

NEW MEXICO

FY 2010 Activities Report

| 8 |

Easement & Long-Term 

Restoration Programs

The voluntary easement programs administered by NRCS offer 

landowners the opportunity to protect, restore and enhance natural 

resources on their property and ensure long-term conservation benefits. 

• Farm and Ranchlands Protection Program (FRPP): helps entities 

with easement programs work with farmers and ranchers to protect 

working agricultural land from conversion to non-agricultural uses. 

• Grassland Reserve Program (GRP): helps farmers and ranchers 

protect their working grazing land from conversion to other uses 

through easements or restoration agreements.

• Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP): helps landowners restore or 

protect wetland areas through easements or restoration agreements.

These programs often leverage NRCS with against the resources of partner entities with corresponding goals to protect farm and ranch lands, 

preserve grasslands, or enhance wetlands. 

Red Hawk WRP provides Wetland Protection Into the Future

2nd Congressional District 

In FY 2011, NRCS New Mexico closed a 274.9-acre Wetlands Reserve 

Program (WRP) easement encompassing two of the state’s extremely 

rare “Blue Holes” -- two small surface lakes, and wetlands surrounding 

each. The area is adjacent to the State of New Mexico’s Blue Hole fish 

hatchery and provides long term protection for the wetland. This is a 

diverse and unique property offering a variety of wildlife benefits, the 

federally-listed Pecos Sunflower, the Wright’s Marsh Thistle, and the 

Hatchery’s water supply.

This easement, called the “Red Hawk WRP,” is a perpetual easement, 

and will provide wetland protection and development control into the 

foreseeable future and beyond. WRP includes a variety of enrollment 

options, including permanent easements, 30-year contracts and 10-year 

restoration-only contracts. All WRP easements, including this one, 

include a restoration component. Restoration efforts for this project 

are currently underway, and once completed will further enhance the 

wetland and wildlife benefits of the property. 

Part of the same geologic wetlands complex owned by the New Mexico 

Sate Forestry Division, Santa Rosa’s “Blue Hole,” the Red Hawk 

WRP’s are larger, the various public holdings in this area offer diverse 

and compounding benefits, with varying degrees of access control and 

various public benefits. 

These include the developed recreational diving benefits of the City 

of Santa Rosa owned Blue Hole and the more remote and limited 

development of the Red Hawk WRP easement. 

With NRCS easement and 

restoration assistance, 

partners can leverage their 

programs, services with 

those of NRCS to improve 

conservation outcomes in New 

Mexico.

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The USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

United States Department of Agriculture

Natural Resource Conservation Service

NEW MEXICO

FY 2010 Activities Report

 | 9 |

Emergency Watershed 

Protection (EWP) Program

The Emergency Watershed Protection Program (EWP) was established 

by Congress to respond to emergencies created by disasters. It is designed 

to relieve imminent hazards to life and property caused by fires, floods, 

windstorms and other natural occurrences. The purpose of EWP is to 

help groups of people with a common problem. It is generally not used 

as an individual assistance program. All projects must be sponsored 

by a government entity, such as a city, county, conservation district 

or Tribe. The work must reduce future threats to life and property, 

be economically and environmentally defensible, and sound from an 

engineering standpoint. NRCS pays up to 75% of the cost with the 

Sponsors contributing at least 25%.

More than 30 Wildfi res burn nearly 1 million acres in New 

Mexico, including Private, State and Tribal lands 

Two of the most notable wildfires were the Raton Track Fire and the 

Las Conchas Fire. The Las Conchas Fire alone consumed 156,000 

acres – the largest single fire in New Mexico history. The Track Fire 

burned three Watersheds north of Raton, including the Lake Maloya 

Watershed area. Lake Maloya supplies drinking water to 9,000 residents 

in the Raton area.

Lake Maloya was deemed an “exigency” – denoting that it was urgent 

and compelling to act and protect the water supply. The city of Raton 

and County of Colfax quickly contacted the Raton Field Office to 

jointly begin fulfilling the EWP agreement. NRCS swiftly assembled an 

EWP Assessment Team to survey the conditions and to plan the critical 

treatments needed. All treatments were successfully installed.

Critical Area Land Treatments Installed:

Aerially Applied Seeding 6,872 Acres $309,240 

Contour Tree Felling/ 171 Acres $95,907 

and Waddles 

Mulching 307 Acres $50,000

Sediment Basin Dams 7 Total (3 by Sponsors) $84,000

Totals: $539,147

Sediment dam full of ash, debris

Contour felling trees helps make 

reseeding process a success

Lake Maloya smoulders after fi re

S di d f ll f h d b i

Contour felling trees helps make
The USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

United States Department of Agriculture

Natural Resource Conservation Service

NEW MEXICO

FY 2010 Activities Report

| 10 |

Los Lunas 

Plant Materials Center

The purpose of the Plant Material Centers (LLPMC) program is to 

develop native plant solutions to help solve natural resource problems. 

Beneficial uses for which plant material may be developed include 

biomass production, carbon sequestration, erosion reduction, riparian 

restoration, and other special conservation treatment needs. 

Scientists at the Los Lunas Plant Materials Center research plants that 

show promise for meeting identified conservation needs and test their 

performance. After species are proven, they are released to the private 

sector for commercial production. 

Developing Plant Solutions to Natural Resource Challenges

“Windbreaker” big sacaton cultivar release in October 2011

In the fall of 2011, the LLPMC and the New Mexico State University 

Los Lunas Agricultural Center released the “Windbreaker” big sacaton 

cultivar. This native, warm-season, perennial bunchgrass is adapted to 

southwestern United States and their semi-arid temperate environments. 

The original source of “Windbreaker” big sacaton was selected from 37 

accessions collected by NRCS field office staff in Arizona, New Mexico 

and Texas. 

The Windbreaker will provide:

Wind erosion control

Forage for livestock and wildlife

Cover for livestock and wildlife

Hay mulch for critical area seeding

Ornamental in low water use plantings

Pollinator Plant Evaluation

Decline of honey bee and wild pollinator (i.e. native bee) populations 

are evident in the U.S. This decline could have effects on agricultural 

crops and native plant communities. The PMC has installed a planting 

of 42 herbaceous perennial species, 23 annual and biennial species, and 

30 woody shrub species. 

This is a collaborative study with Dr. Tess Grasswitz at NMSU. 

Evaluations are examining plant survival, plant vigor, and duration of 

flowering. This study is replicated at the high school in Reserve, NM. 

Pollinator activity is observed and recorded as is activity by predatory 

wasps, beetles, parasitic flies and butterflies. Additional species will be 

planted in 2011. Two added plantings were installed in 2011.

The Los Lunas Plant 

Materials Center develops, 

tests and transfers native 

plant solutions to solve 

conservation problems.
The USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

United States Department of Agriculture

Natural Resource Conservation Service

NEW MEXICO

FY 2010 Activities Report

 | 11 |

NRCS Soil Survey 

Program

NRCS provides soil surveys of the privately owned lands of the nation. 

Soil surveys provide an orderly, on-the-ground, scientific inventory of 

soil resources that includes maps showing the locations and extent of 

soils, data about the physical and chemical properties of those soils, and 

information derived from that data about potential uses and problems on 

each kind of soil. This is done in sufficient detail to meet many needs for 

farmers, agricultural technicians, community planners, engineers, and 

scientists in planning for specific land areas. 

ESDs: Road Map to Succesful Conservation Planning 

A major NRCS reorganization within the NRCS impacts Ecological Site 

Descriptions. Responsibility moved from Technical Services to the Soil 

Survey division. NRCS Agricultural Research Service, Bureau of Land 

Management and US Forest Service met in 2011 to determine the best 

way to continue the development of ESDs. 

Looking across any landscape from a high vantage point, it is easy to see 

that some areas of the terrain vary in vegetation, geology and soil types. 

NRCS classifies different areas into units called Ecological Sites. 

Land inventory, analysis, and the resulting management decisions 

require the accurate knowledge of these ecological sites and their 

interrelationships to one another on the landscape. This information is 

crucial to a successful conservation plan.

Sections of the ESD are categorized into Animal Community, Plant 

Preference by Animal Kind, Hydrologic Interpretations, Recreation 

Uses, Wood Products, and other products such as forage inventory for 

grazing management. 

There have been 322 ESDs created that cover the vast majority of private, 

state, and federal lands in NM. 

ESDs are used as basic information about use and management of a 

particular site’s vegetation. Increasingly they are used for research and 

restoration activities for threatened, endangered, and sensitive species, 

both plant and animal. 

Soil Survey information and 

tools help NRCS and other 

agencies and individuals 

sustain the long-term 

productivity of cropland, 

forests, range, and other 

lands across New Mexico.
The USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

United States Department of Agriculture

Natural Resource Conservation Service

NEW MEXICO

FY 2010 Activities Report

| 12 |

Snow Survey & 

Water Supply Forecasting 

The winter snowpack contributes 50 to 75 percent of the flow in our 

streams and rivers with melting snow. The Snow Survey Program 

provides winter snowpack and stream flow forecasts for water users in 

New Mexico, including reservoir managers, irrigation groups, tribes and 

pueblos, and municipalities. In addition, NRCS participates in drought 

forecasting and mitigation in cooperation with other state and federal 

agencies. 

Snow surveyors from NRCS conduct monthly readings of snowpack 

depth and density at 56 locations throughout mountainous areas of 

the state. Included in these sites are 25 SNOTEL (snow telemetry) 

automated stations which report both climate and snowpack conditions. 

Snow Survey Activities 

In 2011, NRCS developed and released five Water Supply Outlook 

Reports with snowpack summaries and streamflow forecasts for New 

Mexico. These reports are developed and released at the beginning of 

the month from January to May each year. The reports include data 

and forecasts on the snowpack, reservoir storage, and anticipated water 

supply (stream flows) based upon the depth, density, water content, and 

aerial extent of the winter snowpack.

This past year, plans have been implemented to expand the New Mexico 

SNOTEL network with three new sites installed in the Rio Grande 

Watershed. Upgrades to 12 existing SNOTEL sites, and conversion 

of one additional manual snow course site with the latest SNOTEL 

technology are planned for 2012. 

In addition to providing high-elevation snow and climate information, 

NRCS also operates a network of automated Soil Climate Analysis 

Network (SCAN) sites located in lower elevation areas across the nation. 

This system provides data on soil temperature and soil moisture content 

at several depths, air temperature, relative humidity, solar radiation, 

wind, precipitation, barometric pressure, and more. Currently, there are 

seven SCAN sites in New Mexico. 

The SNOTEL system can 

report numerous climate 

and snowpack conditions 

including precipitation, 

temperature, depth of snow, 

humidity, and wind speed.

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