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1-26 I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I New Mexico River Basins There are two major river basins in the New Mexico High Plains. These are the Canadian and Pecos. o Canadi an Ri ver Basi n - The Canadi an fl ows through the north- eastern corner of New Mexico before entering Texas. Nearly all of the stream is intermittent, severely limiting the fisheries potential. Reservoirs in the High Plains portion of the Canadian River Basin incl ude Conchas Lake and Ute Lake, where fisheries are more important. o Pecos River Basin - The Pecos River runs in southerly direction through the State before enteri ng Texas on the south at Red Bluff Reservoir. The Pecos is principally perennial and sup- ports a good fishery. Reservoirs include Lake Avalon, Lake McMill an and Al amogordo Reservoi r which are pri nci pally for irrigation. Colorado The predominant ecoregion in the Colorado High Plains is the Grama- Buffalograss section. This is dominated by short and mid-grasses with asso- ciated species such as sagebrush, yucca and scrub oak. Colorado River Basins There are two major river basins in the Colorado High Plains; the South Platte and the Arkansas. o South Platte River Basin - The South Platte River originates in the Colorado Rocky Mountai ns and flows east to the far north- east corner of Colorado. The South Platte is perennial, a 1 though there has been cons i derabl e di vers i on for i rri gati on. As of the late 1960s, the breeding waterfowl population on the South Platte was estimated at 22,310. This was primarily mal- lards and blue-winged teal (Hopper, 1968). The valley sustains a wintering population of over 400,000 ducks and 10,000 geese. There are no major reservoirs on the South Platte in this area. Six small irrigation reservoirs are: Julesburg, Sterling, Prui tt, Jackson, Empi re and Ri versi de. Ri versi de Reservoi r sustains a breeding population of the threatened white pelican.