STREAM HABITAT SURVEY REPORT: RITO DE LOS INDIOS, JUNE 7-JUNE 25, 2007

Nelson, Jeff; Manickam, Zoe

This report describes the habitat conditions of the Rito de los Indios (a.k.a., Indios Creek) on the Valles Caldera National Preserve. The Rito de los Indios is a 2nd order stream originating from springs draining the south side of the Jemez Mountains just south of Valles Caldera National Preserve's northern boundary. The Rito de los Indios travels just over 4 miles from the headwaters to the confluence with San Antonio Creek. The formal stream survey covered 4.18 miles, beginning at the confluence with San Antonio Creek. The Rito de los Indios Watershed encompasses 6.5 square miles, owned by both the Forest Service and Valles Caldera National Preserve (National Park Service), and is drained by a series of springs and seeps. The Rito de los Indios is divided into 4 reaches, each containing relatively homogeneous habitat characteristics. Reach divisions are based on stream and valley morphology, dramatic changes in stream flow, impoundments (i.e. reservoirs), or land ownership boundaries. Reaches are numbered sequentially as the survey progresses upstream (see Table 3). The average gradient of the Rito de los Indios is 3.3%, or 176.4 feet of elevation gain per mile of stream.