Albuquerque's Environmental Story

Educating For a Sustainable Community

TERRAIN - Extremely steep west-facing slopes, averaging 25% or more. Varied relief, locally exceeding 1,000 feet (305 m.). Marked by cliffs, pinnacles, canyons.

CLIMATE AND AIR QUALITY - Description: relatively moist, cool sub humid climate. Mean annual precipitation is 18-25 inches (46 to 64 cm.); mean annual air temperature 44 F (7 C); frost-free season 60 to 100 days; average snowfall 60 to 100 inches (152 to 254 cm.). Comments: one of the highest incidence of thunderstorms in contiguous U.S. Considerable freeze thaw effect; rapid snowbelt and runoff on west faces.

GEOLOGY - Cap of several hundred feet of Pennsylvanian limestone layers alternating with shale. Remaining material is a light colored Precambrian granite with gneiss, quartzite, greenstone, and schism. Resources or hazards: resources are limited and access restricted. Principal hazards are landslides and erosion.

SOILS - Association: Kolah-Rock Outcrop. Description: dark, well-drained clay loams on steep slopes; parent material, usually limestone, sandstone, or granite. Rock outcrop accounts for 30% of association. Notable characteristics: permeability slow; slope severely limits nearly all man-related activity; useful for watershed, wildlife, nature study.

HYDROLOGY - Parallel canyons (located along joints, faults) cut in steep mountain front, fed by short, intermittent channels. Runoff from snowbelt, thunderstorms and from springs fed by ground water. Ground water otherwise available in small quantities; quality generally good. Little water use in area. Important source of water used elsewhere.

VEGETATION - Zone: Upper Sonoran foothills to Transition, Canadian, and Hudsonian on peaks. Indicator Species: ponderosa pine, white fir, Douglas fir, Gambel oak, pinon-juniper association below 8,000 feet (2,439 m.). Productivity; Sensitivity: upper reaches serve as good grazing and cover areas for wildlife; some wood cutting, gathering of fruits and nuts and recreation occurs in lower areas. Vegetation is somewhat sensitive to over browsing and intrusion by man.

WILDLIFE - Indicator Species: big horn sheep, mountain lion, mule deer, turkey, bobcat, Stellar's jay, broadtailed hummingbird, ground squirrel, porcupine. Value: breeding area for big horn sheep, mountain lion and other large animals; cover, feeding and nesting area for mountain birds.