West Texas desert springs

West Texas springs support endangered fish and invertebrate species.

The TransPecos of West Texas is still the least populated and most natural part of Texas, with large areas still owned by ranching interests that have raised cattle in the region since the 1800s. However, sources of water, and the ecosystems that depend on them, are few and are vulnerable to overuse. The springs, springruns, and creeks that still flow in West Texas support unique native vegetation and are crucial for birds, fish, and wildlife. Permanent springs flowing out of limestone or igneous rock formations form wetlands or cienegas, oases for wildlife that support a dozen species of fish and invertebrates that occur nowhere else in the world. Spring creeks in the midst of low desert areas of Pecos and Reeves counties create saline wetlands that contain rare species such as Leon Springs pupfish and puzzle sunflower.

Without intervention, these springs and the species that swim in them may be doomed to extinction. Heavy pumping of aquifers for irrigation has lowered water tables, causing more than half of the large springs in West Texas to run dry during the last century and starving many permanent streams of water. Phantom Lake Spring, which supplied water for irrigation in Reeves County and provided habitat for endangered pupfish, ran dry in 1999. Other remaining springs will run dry in the coming years if pumping continues

Many West Texas springs dried up during the twentieth century due to overpumping of aqui-fers, including Phantom Lake Spring, above.

at current levels. Several fish species endemic to desert springs are already extinct or endangered due to loss of habitat and competition with nonnative fish. A few large springs are preserved by conservation groups, but several springs are unprotected and threatened by overpumping of ground water, contamination from surrounding oilfields, and overuse of riparian areas. One of the highest priorities for conservationists should be to protect the flows of West Texas springs and riparian areas for the benefit of wildlife and economic sustainability.

Wetlands in the Trans-Pecos are increasingly rare and are cru-cial for the economic and ecological health of the region.

Places to visit West Texas desert springs: Protected Acreage of Desert Spring Wetland Habitat in West Texas: Balmorhea State Park, Balmorhea 250 acres Diamond Y Spring Reserve, Fort Stockton