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Wetlands along the Gila River in Southwestern New Mexico

To examine wetland habitats in southwestern New Mexico, vegetation data were collected during July 2007 from 49 riparian sites along the Gila River. The vegetation data were analyzed using a wetland index based on the wetland affinity of the 476 species found at the sampled sites. Sites that were upstream (from 5,000 to 6,000 feet elevation in the vicinity of the Gila Hot Springs and the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument) had significantly (p < 0.05) more species per plot (60.7), less bare ground (21% of cover), and fewer plots classified as wetlands (17%) when compared to the group of downstream sites (from 4,000 to 5,000 feet elevation near the towns of Gila, Cliff, and to below Redrock, NM). Correspondingly, downstream sites had fewer species per plot (42.3), more bare ground (41%), and more plots classified as wetlands (56%). These data serve as an important baseline for future ecological studies, including climate change and possible in-stream flow alterations—determining their impact on wetlands, and estimating potential future wetland loss along the Gila River in New Mexico.