Spirit of Nature in Northern New Mexico: Field Notes on Natural History of Rio Mora National Wildlife Refuge

Explore the History, Flora, Fauna, and Wildlife of Rio Mora

The center of these writings is the Rio Mora National Wildlife Refuge-a key part of a 1,500 square mile conservation area more or less midway between the source of the Mora River and its entrance to the Canadian River in northeastern New Mexico.

Spirit of Nature is for the amateur naturalist who doesn't mind muddy shoes or wet socks with seeds sticking in them. It's for the nature lover who enjoys watching the change in seasons and the way nature adapts to them.

When most people think of seasons, they think of four because that is what the calendar tells us. When following changes in nature, however, there are more than twenty-five seasons!

For those interested in phenology, the study of repeating patterns in nature, each season brings a bevy of questions. When does a certain species of flower bloom? When does a given species of migratory bird arrive in the spring to build nests and lay eggs? Can changing conditions affect that timing? Which songs belong to which birds? Which mammal tracks should I follow in fresh snow? Which fragrant scents can I expect in different parts of spring and summer? What new surprises are waiting at each new excursion? Every answer opens more questions!

Brian Miller received his PhD from the University of Wyoming in 1988 with a focus on behavioral ecology and conservation of the endangered black-footed ferret. In 1989, he was awarded a Smithsonian Institution Fellowship at the Conservation and Research Center of the National Zoological Park centered on preparing captive-raised black-footed ferrets for reintroduction onto the western prairies.From 1992 to 1997, Miller lived and worked in Mexico as a post-doc and then professor at the National University of Mexico. He was part of a team starting a protected area in the high plains of Chihuahua, Mexico before beginning an ongoing research project on jaguars and pumas in the dry tropical forest of Jalisco, Mexico. In 1997, Miller and Rich Reading started the Conservation Department at the Denver Zoological Foundation. While there, Miller examined the trophic impacts of wolf reintroduction on coyotes and the small mammal community in Grand Teton National Park.Miller's main research interest concerns the role of highly interactive species in regulating ecosystem processes and how to improve protection for those species when designing reserves. In 2005, he became executive director and founding scientist of the Wind River Ranch Foundation, an NGO located on a private ranch owned by Eugene and Clare Thaw and dedicated to conservation of native species, conservation research, and environmental education. In 2012, the land officially entered the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) as the Rio Mora National Wildlife Refuge.Miller has co-authored or edited five books and has published over one hundred scientific articles. He has served on the board of directors for five NGOs and as a scientific advisor for several more. He has received outstanding service awards from the Colorado Division of Fish and Wildlife for co-heading the Lynx Advisory team and from the USFWS for his work on black-footed ferret conservation. In 2009, he received the Conservationist of the Year Award from the Denver Zoological Foundation.