Capulin Volcano NM Biological Inventory

Capulin Volcano National Monument (NM) contains 793 acres of land, including the cinder cone, covered primarily with pinyon-juniper woodland; scrub oak and other shrubs; remnants of a ponderosa pine forest; and over 200 acres of high plains short-grass prairie. Checklists had been available for the park’s plants, herpetofauna, birds, and mammals, but complete inventories had not been conducted prior to 2002. In collaboration with the National Park Service, the New Mexico Natural Heritage Program (NMNHP) conducted inventories of vertebrate animals and vascular plants for three parks in New Mexico, including Capulin Volcano NM. In each park, inventories were performed for taxa that had not previously been thoroughly surveyed. The intent of the work was to locate and identify as many species as possible in each park. The inventory results provide baseline information for future inventory and monitoring.