The Zuni bluehead sucker, Catostomus discobolus yarrowi, is a federally listed endangered subspecies of fish whose populations have decreased by 90% in New Mexico, where it is now restricted to isolated habitats in the Zuni Mountains and Pueblo of Zuni. Since 2013, the Forest Stewards Guild in collaboration with the University of New Mexico, US Forest Service, Great Old Broads for Wilderness, US Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), Pueblo of Zuni, River Source, Inc., The Nature Conservancy (TNC), and others have monitored water quality at Zuni bluehead sucker habitat sites in the western portion of the Zuni Mountains.
Click on the image to view the two-page summary water monitoring report.
The Guild recently published a detailed report, as well as a companion two-page summary (image to the right), on a decade of water monitoring data from two key Zuni Bluehead Sucker habitat sites.
Water temperature data from The Nature Conservancy’s Rio Nutria Preserve showed occasional critical warming (above 30° C) in the summer, especially in June and July, with an overall trend of increasing water temperatures since 2014. Water level data showed four to five major flood pulses per monsoon season clustered between July 14th and September 1st. On average, flood events lasted 15 hours with a range of 10 to 28 hours.
The Guild and its partners will continue monitoring water quality, water temperature, and water level in the Rio Nutria Preserve on an ongoing basis. These efforts complement Zuni bluehead sucker population monitoring conducted by USFWS, Pueblo of Zuni, and TNC in this area. Despite occurring within a protected area, this population of Zuni bluehead sucker remains vulnerable to climate change and wildfire. Monitoring will allow us to evaluate changes to water quality, level, and temperature associated with these, or other, disturbances.
Read both the summary and the full water monitoring report, as well as many other reports, on the Zuni Mountains Collaborative - Monitoring Resource page!