Relating Human Activities and Biological Resources in Riparian Habitats of Western Texas

--This paper discusses the recreational and wildlife values of riparian habitats along the Rio Grande in western Texas (from El Paso to Del Rio). Several human activities have the potential or have in fact impacted on riparian resources in this region. These include: (1) irrigation diversions and stream channelization which greatly alter rates and amounts of water flow; (2) land flooding resulting from reservoir construction; (3) land clearing for purposes of cultivation to increase agriculture production; (4) overgrazing by domestic livestock; (5) intro­ ductions of exotic plants and fishes; (6) increases in human recreation activity (floating, camping, hunting, and trapping); and (7) pesticide buildups which have accumulated as a result of drainage and erosion from nearby fields. Contract research with the National Park Service at Big Bend National Park and Amistad Recreation Area focused on outdoor recreation and grazing impacts and findings are reported elsewhere. This paper seeks to place these impacts into broader land use perspective so that riparian resources can be more effectively managed in western Texas.