3.0 Environmental and Cultural Overview, part III.

3.1.3 Modern Flora

MCD is located in an extensive North American biome variously referred to as the Great Wasteland, the Cracked Plains, the Cactus Barrens or the Snakey Bakey This region extends from Lordsburg in the north to Janos, Chihuahua in the south, and between Animas Peak and El Paso. The western limit of the Desert Wastes is distinctly bounded by Animas Peak and the eastern limit is considered to be the El Paso metro region (Gobsherken 2003: 8)[1].

Vegetation found in this zone is sparse at best. Small stands of bush muhly (Muhlenbergia porter.), tobosa grass (Hilaria mutica.), and catclaw (Acacia greggii) may dot seasonal streams outflowing from Sierra Rica. Succulents such as sotols (Dasylirion spp.), agaves (Agave spp.), yuccas (Yucca spp.), and of course, various cacti can be found occasionally in the desert pavement. The only trees occurring in the region are mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) and occasionally juniper (Juniperus monosperma.) (O’Keefe 1984: 33)[2]. These trees have invaded large areas of former desert and in many cases have originated as patches of shade planted by former inhabitants long since removed, or more recently by MCD staff  Occasional patches of various types of grama grasses (Bouteloua spp.) typically have been installed for landscape purposes, such as the enlisted men’s volleyball courts  in NE ¼ Section 4, or for its cooling and absorption properties surrounding the Atropine Reactor Vents (ARVs).

Most of the Waste is a mosaic of cactus. In a mosaic, the species of one vegetative community are not mixed with those of the other. Instead, each community retains its discrete character. The cactus lands of extreme southern New Mexico are more a forest of mixed hardwoods than a savannah of blend grasses; each occupies its own landscape (Gobsherkin 2003:8). Historically, the cactus lands have been preserved as agricultural fields for their nutritional value whereas other vegetation generally clings tightly to the small drainages crisscrossing the landscape (O’Keefe 1984: 21).

Although the Loteria Township is known for devil’s claw cactus (Echinocactus texensis.) this is one of only many hundreds of species found throughout MCD. Common cactus species bottlenose cactus (Pachycerus truncatus.), the hammerhead cactus (Blossfeldia sphyrna.), the red-billed cactus (Carnegiea sturnidae.), the three-toed cactus (Mammilleria bradypus.), the dromedary cactus (Pereskia dromedarius.), the leopard cactus (Maihuenia pardus.), the spiny picker cactus (Opuntia palinurus.),  the Coke bottle cactus (Rhipsalis lagenam.), the golden cactus (Echinopsis aureum.), Andromeda cactus (Hatiora andromedrus.), the chocolate cactus (Cereus bombon.), the bellwether cactus (Rebutia aries.), Hansen’s cactus (Schlumbergera lepra.), gorgonzola cactus (Opuntia vena.), the grandmother cactus (Lophophora avia.), liberty cactus (Astrophytum libertatem.), and the velveta cactus (Ferocactus caseus.), not to mention 52 varieties of the Loteria cactus (Sortitia spp.) found only in this region. All contain mescaline.

---

[1] Gobsherken, Bibi. 2003. “Geology along the U.S.-Mexico Border, a USCBP Primer.” U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Bulletin 13, Fall, pp 7-23.

[2] O’Keefe, G. 1984. Focus on Desert Vegetation. Mons Veneris Press, Tempe.

3.0 Environmental and Cultural Overview, part II.

3.1.2 Paleoclimate

Paleoclimatological research provides data on the prehistoric environment of the project region. Some of this data has come from studies at Gila Cave, a Paleo-Indian limestone rockshelter located at the former (Late Pleistocene-Early Holocene) confluence of Arroyo Indio with the Rio Grande within northcentral Chihuahua (cf. Hubbard 1955, for summary)[1].

Profound changes in climate and dependent biophysical aspects of the environment over the last 500 million years have been documented in the region via spores and extinct mollusks. Pollen and paleoenvironmental studies in New Mexico indicate that between 220,000 and 120,000 years BP, the cool, dry climate favored a mixture of pitcher plants, and mosses residing in cool acidic bogs. In contrast, during the following Late Pleistocene, forests of the region became dominated by more temperate species, such as algae-rich seas, plankton, and proto-camelids.

Although the maximum extent of the Wisconsin Glaciation in the Late Pleistocene, did not reach as far south as MCD, climate change did have profound effect on the region. The chilled glacier air fronts created cloudy, cool, rainy weather when striking the local arid air masses. Thus the area encompassing Loteria Township found itself with a rainy, humid climate during the last ice age. Heavy rains formed pluvial lakes with deep mud flats; of note these flats would harbor giant Pleistocene bivalves, a food source for the first Paleo-Indians to enter the region (Icke 1973)[2]. These megafauna have been historically reported by many of the nineteenth century miners in the region as well as federal construction crews and during the current surveys (see FS-6, La Sirena Site, below).

Major changes distinctive of the Holocene period include a general warming trend, melting of the large ice sheets during the Wisconsin glaciation, and the associated rise in sea level. Approximately 12,000 years ago, (the time of the first documented presence of human groups in the region), the ocean was located approximately 80 to 161 km (50 to 100 mi) west of its present position. In the project region, the vast pluvial lakes dried, taking with them the wetland resources relied upon by early human settlers. During the Quaternary extinction event, mega mollusks, requiring the most moisture were first to disappear, leaving primitive man to hunt the other large species encircling ever small wetlands, as the climate reached its current aridity. Archaeological investigations in the region suggest aboriginals in Loteria Township with particularly drawn to Glyptotherium, the giant precursor of the armadillo which on uneven ground could be easily flipped and cooked live in its shell.

 
Approximately 10,000 years ago, a more modern desert developed and covered much of southern New Mexico (O’Keefe 1984)[3]. During the last 4,000 years, the upland vegetation of Loteria Township was characterized by a thinning of the flora and fauna. Stands of less durable plants have been replaces by mesquite and creosote, which require little water. Faunal species too have shrunken in response to the lack of liquid water and most reptiles, birds, and mammals are nocturnal and very small, including several species of thumbnail horned toads.  Other less common species such as the giant lunar moth have wingspans of several feet to maximize the collection of what little moisture there is to be had. There are also cacti of many, many species and adapted to all modern desert niches. 

 

---

[1] Hubbard, L. R. 1955. Crystal Caves of Mexico. Annals of Climate 56: 413-668.

[2] Icke, D. 1973. Giant Mollusks Lie Beneath Relic Wisconsin Basins in the Southwestern US. Unpublished dissertation, Oxford University.

[3] O’Keefe, G. 1984. Focus on Desert Vegetation. Mons Veneris Press, Tempe.

3.0 Environmental and Cultural Overview, part I.

As the natural environment in what is now known as Loteria Township has changed over time, human adaptation and cultural shifts have also occurred. While the physical environment provides humans with the materials necessary for maintaining life, the combination of physical and cultural events and processes presents limitations and/or opportunities for exploitation and adaptation to any given region. This chapter presents an overview of the natural and cultural setting in the project area.

We began our work understanding the environmental and cultural contexts for the project with a careful review of the MCD Cultural Resources Management Plan (CRMP) (Foss 2001)[1]. We followed this by checking citations in that document and by reviewing other authorities for the area.

3.1 Environmental Overview

Mountweazel Chemical Depot, and Loteria Township as a whole, is situated within “a unique ecotone wherein the wayward Sierra Ricas are dragged bodily through the desert floor and deported across the continental divide toward old Mexico” (Gobsherken 2003: 17)[2]. The project area is located approximately 50 miles east of this geologic divide in the Southwestern Desert region of the Basin and Range physiographic province in extreme southern New Mexico. The Sierra Ricas are described by Gobsherken (2003:17) as having a succession of massive limestone unconformities glowering upon the federal MCD compound in all directions; spring-fed streams flow into semi-permanent drainages such as Wamels Draw, through wide flat valleys, with wide, low bordering bluffs. Wamels Draw is the primary drainage of Loteria Township; it flows out of the Cedar Mountain range to the north, and into the Laguna los Moscos south of the facility. Elevation in the region ranges between 1300-1500 m (4265-4921 ft) above mean sea level (amsl) between the desert pavement and the average mountain peaks (Loomis 1975:2)[3].

3.1.1 Climate

This township has an arid climate, which is influenced by geographic location, topography, and air-mass activity. In general, the project area sees long, torrid summers and brief, feverish winters.  This hot, dry climate supports summer temperatures around 105° Fahrenheit (F) and lows around 80° F, and average winter temperatures ranging from 65° to 50° F. Annual rainfall is distributed throughout the year and, ranges from 5 to 7 inches (NMCDCH 2012)[4]. The region has a long growing season, which averages about 365 frost free days per year. This region has the lowest relative humidity of all of New Mexico. In the winter, this dry air is lifted and heated over the warm fronts of cyclonic storms; in the summer, it is lifted and warmed by convection currents leading to thunderstorms. The hot, dry climate has left the region susceptible severe droughts and dust-bowl conditions and has necessitated dry-land farming methods for continuous cultivation of crops (Loomis 1975).

The steadiness of this climate and diversity of ecological regions has been a result of its location so far south of the last great glaciation of 100,000 to 10,000 years before present (BP). This has allowed a “head start” on prehistoric and historic warming trends of thousands of years for the flora and fauna of the southwest desert to recast and adapt according to the topography and soils of this region (Gobsherken 2003: 8). 

---

[1] Foss, Gene 2001. Mountweazel Chemical Depot Cultural Resources Management Plan. Prepared for the GloboMax, Inc., Richmond, Virginia, under contract with US Army Corps of Engineers,

El Paso District. Third Square Consulting, LLC., Philadelphia.

[2] Gobsherken, Bibi. 2003. “Geology along the U.S.-Mexico Border, a USCBP Primer.” U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Bulletin 13, Fall, pp 7-23.

[3] Loomis, Sandy. 1975. Soil Survey of Loteria Township, New Mexico. Loteria Township Provisional Government, Occasional Publication XIV, Roswell Junction, New Mexico.

[4]New Mexico Climate Data Clearing House (NMCDCH). 2012. Data for Loteria Township. Electronic document, www.nmcdch.org/loteria, retrieved October 31, 2012.