Executive Summary Description - The isolated mountain ranges of southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico represent the northern terminus of the Sierra Madre Occidental. Elevation determines vegetation, with Douglas fir and pine at higher elevations giving way to oak-dominated forest at lower elevations. Lowlands surrounding the ranges are desert grasslands similar to the Sonoran Desert on the west and Chihuahuan desert on the east. Flycatcher Southwestern subspecies.
Conservation issues are water use, urban development, overgrazing, and recreation.
Because this is the northern tip of a system that extends far south of the border, coordination with Mexico regarding priorities, management, and protection is advisable. In the United States, much of the higher elevation habitats in this physiographic area are publicly owned. There is some evidence that bird watchers, through use of tapes and intrusion into territories, have negatively affected some birds. This may be a minor problem, but nevertheless birders should be encourage to observe birder ethics. In lower elevations, riparian strips should be managed for maintenance of multiple levels of vegetation and cottonwood recruitment.