Description
The Diamond A Ranch is a 500-square-mile gem nestled in the boot heel of New Mexico. This vast landscape includes the former Gray Ranch, a spectacular 321,000 acres hosting more than 700 species of plants, 75 mammals, 50 reptiles and amphibians and 170+ types of breeding birds. It is truly one of the most significant natural sites in the nation.
The Nature Conservancy purchased the Gray Ranch in 1990 and, in 1993, retained a conservation easement and sold the property to the newly formed Animas Foundation. The foundation has since expanded its landholdings, and the Conservancy has acquired additional easements.
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.
The Animas Foundation is an organization dedicated to protecting the natural values of the Diamond A Ranch while maintaining the cultural and economic heritage of the bootheel country. They are 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.
Please note: The Animas Foundation discourages visitors to the Diamond A Ranch. TNC does not have the authority to permit access to the ranch.
