Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge

The 230,000-acre refuge includes four different biomes that intersect and support a wide array of biological diversity. The Rio Grande flows through the center of the refuge, and serves as an important source of water that creates an oasis for wildlife in the arid landscape. The refuge is unique in that it was set aside “to preserve and enhance the integrity and the natural character of the ecosystems of the property by creating a wildlife refuge managed as nearly as possible in its natural state.”  The refuge is not managed for specific wildlife species, but instead focuses on letting natural processes such as flood and fire to prevail. 

Like intersecting highways, four major biomes unite at Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge. Piñon–Juniper Woodlands intersect with the Colorado Plateau Shrub–Steppe lands. The Chihuahuan Desert meets the Great Plains Grasslands. In select places, all four converge. To add to the stunning diversity, the largest river in New Mexico, the Rio Grande, bisects the immense landscape of the refuge, a lifeline for migrating birds and corridor for wildlife.  

An array of amazing plants and wildlife that have evolved with the different ecosystems are found here. Scientists from across the country and internationally come here to conduct research in these amazing ecosystems