Hot Property: Cuatro Ciénegas Valley

Cuatro Ciénegas

Deep in the heart of the Chihuahuan Desert in northeast Mexico lies the 200,000-acre Cuatro Ciénegas valley. This striking landscape is characterized by hundreds of azure freshwater springs, desert gardens and sandy white gypsum dunes embraced by mountains rising to 10,000 feet. Not only beautiful, it holds one of the highest concentrations of plant and animal species found nowhere else on Earth.

With The Nature Conservancy's support, the Mexican conservation organization Pronatura Noreste recently purchased a 7,000-acre ranch in the valley, known as Rancho Pozas Azules (Ranch of the Blue Pools) in the valley. The property harbors more than 70 of the valley's approximately 200 desert springs, which are home to more than 77 species unique to the valley. Please help us raise $400,000 in 2001 to pay for the ranch and endow its future.