Monitoring Parks in North America's Largest Desert

The Chihuahuan Desert Inventory & Monitoring Network includes seven parks in the desert and mountain landscapes of west Texas and southeastern New Mexico. The Chihuahuan Desert is shared by two nations and is the most biologically diverse desert in the Western Hemisphere. We collect information on park plants, soils, arid-land springs, air quality, birds, and dune dynamics and share our results with park managers.

Our network is one of 32 Inventory & Monitoring Networks across the country. We work to provide park managers, researchers, and park visitors with reliable scientific information about key park resources. Knowing the condition of natural resources and how they are changing helps park managers make sound decisions. In this way, we help to ensure that our national natural treasures are preserved, unimpaired, for future generations.