Extending from the spillway below Cochiti Dam, about 50 miles north of Albuquerque, to the headwaters of Elephant Butte Reservoir, near Truth or Consequences in the southern portion of New Mexico, the Middle Rio Grande Bosque is more than a cottonwood woodland or forest. It is a complete riverside ecosystem, among the more important in the world’s arid regions.

“A Field Guide to the Plants and Animals of the Middle Rio Grande Bosque” [Penned by biology researchers at the University of New Mexico including Jean-Luc E. Cartron, David C. Lightfoot, Jane E. Mygatt, Sandra L. Brantley, and Timothy K. Lowrey] provides nearly 400 pages of information, features 800 color photographs and descriptions of more than 700 plants and animals in the Middle Rio Grande Bosque.

This authoritative guide reveals the important role of a unique riverside ecosystem. As the first of its kind for the Middle Rio Grande Bosque, the guide provides an invaluable resource for land managers, teachers, students, eco-buffs and nature enthusiasts. …

The next event will be held Friday, Dec. 5 in conjunction with Faculty & Staff Appreciation Day at the UNM Bookstore. The book-signing at the UNM Bookstore, located at Central and Cornell N.E., will be held from 12 to 2 p.m.

Other signings include the Rio Grande Nature Center on Jan. 10 and Bookworks on Jan. 11. Bookworks is located in the Flying Star Plaza at 4022 Rio Grande N.W., while the Rio Grande Nature Center is located at 2901 Candelaria Rd., N.W. Those book-signings begin at 5:30 p.m. at each location.

For more information visit UNM Press at: http://unmpress.unm.edu/.