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Wolf Springs Ranch rises over the mesa on La Otra Banda, the volcanic plateau that spreads to the west from the rim of the Rio Grande gorge. There is not much water out there. No lakes, no rivers, no creeks and just a few meager springs. If you want water you’ll have to dig several hundred feet down beneath the basalt bedrock that blankets the plateau.

Water does fall from the sky. On occasion. The rain generally comes in brief downpours hanging from silver-tipped clouds that swiftly move on to the east and over the peaks of the Sangre de Cristo mountains. Many times, the moisture does nothing more than tease from the clouds as wisps of gray virga that evaporates hundreds of feet above the ground.

“Even just on the ranch we see a significant variation in rainfall patterns,” says Tony Benson. “We can have a downpour going on just over there while here it is totally dry.” Benson, the owner of Wolf Springs, placed a significant chunk of his 3,450-acre ranch under conservation easement in 2003. The professional geologist wanted a piece of land that he could both actively ranch as well restore. And the land indeed needed help.
Copyright
© 2015 Jim O'Donnell
Image Size
3872x2592 / 4.5MB
Contained in galleries
Client: Taos Land Trust
Wolf Springs Ranch rises over the mesa on La Otra Banda, the volcanic plateau that spreads to the west from the rim of the Rio Grande gorge. There is not much water out there. No lakes, no rivers, no creeks and just a few meager springs. If you want water you’ll have to dig several hundred feet down beneath the basalt bedrock that blankets the plateau.<br /> <br /> Water does fall from the sky. On occasion. The rain generally comes in brief downpours hanging from silver-tipped clouds that swiftly move on to the east and over the peaks of the Sangre de Cristo mountains. Many times, the moisture does nothing more than tease from the clouds as wisps of gray virga that evaporates hundreds of feet above the ground.<br /> <br /> “Even just on the ranch we see a significant variation in rainfall patterns,” says Tony Benson. “We can have a downpour going on just over there while here it is totally dry.” Benson, the owner of Wolf Springs, placed a significant chunk of his 3,450-acre ranch under conservation easement in 2003. The professional geologist wanted a piece of land that he could both actively ranch as well restore. And the land indeed needed help.