Restoration of Native Vegetation in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, 1984-87

Photo: Native vegetation in the central portion of the Lower Rio Grande Valley: "..,the dense brush that comprises part of this ecosystem provides food, nest sites, and cover for many wildlife species, including the endangered ocelot and jaguarundi," Photo courtesy of Robin Vora W ith elimination of 95 percent of the native woodlands of the lower Rio Grande Valley, maintenance of habitat for more than 500 vertebrate species (Jahrsdoerfer and Leslie, 1988) now depends on land acquisition and restoration of native vegetation on recently-cultivated fields. Little is known, however, about propagation and establishment of many of the native species. Riskind et a!. (1987) reported on early efforts by Texas Parks and Wildlife to establish five native woody species by transplanting from existing native stands, on planting techniques used with nursery-grown seedlings in the mid-1980s, and on cooperative farm agreeraents used by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to accomplish restoration planting. This article is a follow-up to that report. I concentrate on results of experiments and field trials conducted between 1984 and 1987 while I was working as an ecologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on the Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge, near Alamo, Texas. I also include updates based on personal communication with the present ecologist, Chris Best. Jahrsdoerfer and Leslie (1988) and others described the Lower Rio Grande Valley as a unique ecosystem in the United States.