Mankind is famous for altering his circumstances to suit his needs. Clothing, houses, irrigation, things too numerous to mention allow people to live where otherwise only a fraction could exist and hardly said to thrive. But almost always, there are not only the results intended, but others not foreseen—some bad, and once in a while some good.
Examples of the bad in the Chihuahuan Desert
includes the desertification of the region, pollution, and the
destruction of wildlife habitat; and the cities themselves, with
their paved streets and buildings, become islands of heat, just
what we need in an already hot climate. On the other hand, the
manipulation of landscape and vegetation provides microclimates
and food resources absent before men. As a result, we sometimes
see animals appearing where they could never have lived in the
past. Some are unwelcome, like House Mice and Black Rats, but
many of us get a kick out of seeing Robins nesting in the
artificial groves of our parks and landscaping; Robins that
otherwise would require a trip into the mountain islands of our
desert.
Contributor: Arthur H. Harris, Laboratory for Environmental Biology, Centennial Museum, University of Texas at El Paso.
Desert Diary is a joint production of the Centennial Museum and KTEP National Public Radio at the University of Texas at El Paso.