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Basin and Range - East Recovery Unit

The Recovery Team delineated the Basin and Range - East based on the Basin and Range Area Province (USGS 1970) and the Desert and Steppic Ecoregions (Bailey 1980).

Mexican spotted owls occur in the isolated mountain ranges scattered across this RU. They are most common in mixed-conifer forest but are also found in ponderosa pine forest and pinyon-juniper woodland (Skaggs and Raitt 1988). The owl has been found within mixed-conifer canyon habitat in the Guadalupe Mountains (McDonald et al. 1991). The majority of known Mexican spotted owls are located on FS lands, with some found on NPS and tribal lands. Dominant land uses include timber management and livestock grazing. Recreational activities such as off-road driving, skiing, hiking, camping, and hunting are also locally common within the RU.