ABSTRACT

Two national parks in the Chihuahuan Desert Network are discussed here: Big Bend National Park (BIBE) and Guadalupe Mountains National Park (GUMO). Both are designated as Class I, giving them a heightened level of protection against harm caused by poor air quality under the Clean Air Act. The only large population center within the Chihuahuan Desert Network is El Paso. There are, however, several large urban centers near the network boundary, including Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio, Houston, Phoenix, Tucson, and Albuquerque, plus human population centers in Mexico. Figure 16.1 shows the network boundary along with locations of each park and population centers with more than 10,000 people.