The Nature Conservancy. Protecting nature. Preserving life.™

The Diamond A Ranch (formerly known as the Gray Ranch) is a 500-square mile gem nestled in the bootheel of New Mexico. This 321,000 acre area spans more than 50 natural communities containing more than 700 species of plants, 75 mammals, 50 reptiles and amphibians, and more than 170 species of breeding birds. It is truly one of them most significant natural sites in the nation.

In 1990, the Conservancy purchased the ranch and, in 1993, transferred it to the newly-formed Animas Foundation, an organization dedicated to protecting the natural values of the Diamond A Ranch while maintaining the cultural and economic heritage of the bootheel country. The Animas Foundation is also a partner in the larger Malpai Borderlands Group, a nonprofit, community-based, volunteer organization founded by ranchers in southern New Mexico and Arizona dedicated to improving the quality of their ranches and preserving their ranching way of life.

The Diamond A Ranch lies in a unique area of the country called the Sky Islands. Here, tall mountain ranges—northern extensions of Mexico's Sierra Madre Occidental— rise high above the grasslands of the Chihuahuan Desert. Priority natural communities include black grama grasslands, Madrean oak woodlands and Fremont cottonwood riparian forests. This landscape is home to the ridge-nosed rattlesnake, Baird's sparrow, white-sided jackrabbit, and pronghorn.

Please note:  The Animas Foundation discourages visitors to the Diamond A Ranch. The Conservancy does not have the authority to permit access to the ranch. For more information contact the Diamond A Ranch Program Director at (575) 548-2622.

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