The San Juan River encompasses only 6,365 acres of the approximate 1.6 million acres administered by the Monticello Field Office yet in January 2006, the BLM designated it a potential Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) with the highest diversity of relevant and important values (scenic, cultural, wildlife, and natural systems) for the region.  Winding through the Colorado Plateau, the San Juan River corridor experiences a wide range of hot and cold temperatures, posing a challenge for the numerous riparian and upland species that can be found there.

Flora: Native trees found along the San Juan River corridor include cottonwood, willow, and box elder, however non-native salt cedar (also known as tamarisk) and Russian olive trees, often dominate the river banks.  Just off the thin riparian corridor, the upland vegetation is comprised of desert scrub species including narrowleaf yucca, prickly pear cactus, sacred datura, Mormon tea, and four-winged saltbrush. Non-native plants have begun to heavily invade many areas as well with the most common invasives including Russian thistle, camelthorn, and Russian knapweed.

Wildlife: Common wildlife species found along the river corridor include bighorn sheep, mule deer, coyote, beaver, rock squirrel, collared and desert spiny lizards, and a rich diversity of birds such as great blue herons, cliff swallow, peregrine falcon, and many warbler and sparrow species.

Fish: The San Juan River is home to two endangered fish species, the Colorado Pikeminnow and Razorback Sucker. For more information about these two species and the current recovery plan on the San Juan visit the San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program site.

Photos by Unknown Photographer
Photos Courtesy of Utah Division of Wildlife Resources