credits - Anthony Falbo - Falboarts.com
The plateau at first glance seems to be entirely free of wildlife. There are miles of nothing but sagebrush and native grasses no taller than your waist. You can scan from horizon to horizon and see little but a few hawks, crows and mountain bluebirds that thrive in the New Mexican desert. But the birds presence tells the true story. Where there are crows, and especially hawks, you know that wildlife thrives below.
The plateau has a remarkably diverse set of landscapes from the heavily forested ridge-lines to quasi-desert mesa. The mesa is considered desert by some because of its lack of vegetation (read trees)but its anything but deserted. The land holds many types of shrubs and grasses, and even in this fairly dry place (less than 15″ rain per year) there are still the occasional oak and pine trees in low lying areas.