Who named McCown’s Longspur?

Who was John McCown?

A decade before John P. McCown (pictured here circa 1864) was promoted to Major General of the Confederate Army, he collected birds in Texas. Three specimens sent to businessman and amateur ornithologist George Lawrence (for whom Lawrence’s Goldfinch is named) were new to western science, including McCown’s Longspur.

What did John McCown do in the Rio Grande?

After the war McCown served along the Rio Grande on frontier duty, and he was promoted to captain on January 9, 1851. During this time, McCown collected birds in the area, most of which he sent to ornithologist George Lawrence.

Why is it called the Rio Grande cottonwood?

Like many Southwestern plants, its scientific name also bears the stamp of John C. Fremont, the famed 19th century “Pathfinder of the West.” The Rio Grande cottonwood, a welcome sight to pioneers in the desert because it often signaled water, typically reaches 50 to 60 feet in height, with a trunk of three feet in diameter.

How did the Rio Grande River affect the environment?

The Rio Grande: A troubled river. Such contamination affects a wide variety of species. For instance, high levels of both mercury and selenium have been detected in many of the river’s fish, in aquatic insects, and in numerous bird species that feed on aquatic organisms.

What happened to all the fish in the Rio Grande?

At least seven species of fish have now disappeared from the Rio Grande in the Big Bend area, including the American eel, the sturgeon and the Rio Grande silvery minnow. Also, at least five native mussels may be gone, since only the dead shells of three species have been found in recent years.

Why is the Rio Grande so important to Big Bend?

Because of the Rio Grande’s importance to the overall environmental health of the Big Bend region, Big Bend National Park cooperates with the U.S. Geologic Survey (USGS) and other agencies to monitor the river’s condition and the quality of its water.

What is a Rio Grande cottonwood tree?

The Rio Grande cottonwood is also popularly known as the Fremont cottonwood, common cottonwood, valley cottonwood, marsh cottonwood, alamo and alamillo. Its scientific name reflects its membership in the poplar family, which includes the poplars, the aspens and the other cottonwood species.

How does the Rio Grande cottonwood reproduce?

The Water Tree. The Rio Grande cottonwood reproduces by seeding, unlike many other flood-plain trees which regenerate by sprouting. It flowers in the spring, before it leafs out. It releases its seeds, each carried by a downy white tuft, or “parachute,” in anticipation of traditional spring floods and winds,…

How tall is a cottonwood tree in the desert?

The Rio Grande cottonwood, a welcome sight to pioneers in the desert because it often signaled water, typically reaches 50 to 60 feet in height, with a trunk of three feet in diameter. Some of the grand old cottonwoods in the Rio Grande Valley have reached 90 feet in height, with trunks five feet across.

What is a Fremont cottonwood tree?

Also known as Fremont cottonwood or Rio Grande cottonwood, this tree is commonly found near water bodies of arid regions. These trees have a widespread foliage that can extend to 5 feet in diameter.

How has the Rio Grande changed over the years?

In an otherwise dry and seemingly barren desert, the Rio Grande has produced a sparkling ribbon of water and lush, green vegetation teeming with fish, birds and other forms of wildlife. Unfortunately, over the past one hundred years, the Rio Grande has changed dramatically, until today, it is little more than a shadow of its former self.

How is the Rio Grande River used in New Mexico?

In Las Cruces, the Rio Grande’s flow is diverted and drained, flooding into pecan orchards and feeding crops like onions, corn and famously peppery green chiles, for which the state is known. Here, most of the water is owned by irrigators through a century-old system called “water rights”.

How does the Rio Grande River affect the environment?

A finite amount of water flows through the Rio Grande every year, so when there are shortages, every city along the river is affected. Due to climate change, hotter and drier seasons are reducing the snowpack that melts to feed the Rio Grande, and rising temperatures are increasing evaporation from the reservoirs.

Is the Rio Grande in its natural state?

But this isn’t its natural state. Isaac Melendrez, who was born near Las Cruces in 1934 and contributed to an oral history of the Rio Grande, remembered swimming in the river with his family as a child, while throngs of birds soared overhead. During the rainy season, the river’s floodwaters sounded like trains.

Why is the Rio Grande running low on water?

Due to climate change, hotter and drier seasons are reducing the snowpack that melts to feed the Rio Grande, and rising temperatures are increasing evaporation from the reservoirs. Because of this, the river has had just seven years with a “full supply” of water in the past 20, and only two in the past decade.

What animals are in Rio and Rio 2?

This is the list of animal species (as well as insect species) that appear in Rio and Rio 2. The most common animal species featured in both of the films are sauropsids. (most of them being birds) Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.

How many miles is the Rio Grande National Park?

For 118 miles, the Rio Grande forms the boundary between Mexico and Big Bend National Park. Big Bend National Park gets its name from the prominent bend in the Rio Grande along this border. This is one of the largest, most remote, and least visited national parks in the United States.

Why is it called Big Bend National Park?

The name Big Bend comes from a large bend in the Rio Grande River along the park boundary. In 2012, the park was named as an International Dark Sky Park. Big Bend National Park has the darkest measured skies in the lower 48 states, and star gazing here is obviously superb.

Where is Big Bend of the Rio Grande National Park?

Texas Bureau of Economic Geology The Big Bend of the Rio Grande: A Guide to the Rocks, Geologic History, and Settlers of the Area of Big Bend National Park GEOLOGY, PLACE NAMES, AND LEGENDS Marathon Basin. —Marathon, Texas, is a small village on the Southern Pacific Railway and U. S. Highway 90.

What is the Rio Grande cottonwood good for?

When fall comes, the Rio Grande cottonwood pays with gold leaves for its purchase of water. Rio Grande cottonwood seedlings and saplings provide food for deer, rabbits and field mice. Larger trees provide food for beavers as well as wood for the animals’ dams and lodges.