Kiowa National Grassland
| Kiowa National Grassland | |
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IUCN category VI (protected area with sustainable use of natural resources)
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Kiowa National Grassland with Rabbit Ear Mountains in the background.
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| Location | Northeastern New Mexico, USA |
| Nearest city | Clayton, NM |
| Coordinates | 36°10′01″N 104°10′01″W / 36.167°N 104.167°WCoordinates: 36°10′01″N 104°10′01″W / 36.167°N 104.167°W |
| Area | 137,131 acres (554.95 km2) |
| Established | 1960 |
| Governing body | U.S. Forest Service |
| Website | Kiowa and Rita Blanca National Grasslands |
Kiowa National Grassland is a National Grassland, located in northeastern New Mexico. The southwestern Great Plains grassland includes prairie and part of the Canadian River Canyon.
It is located in two non-adjacent units of northeastern New Mexico. The western unit is located in northwestern Harding, eastern Mora, and southeastern Colfax counties. The smaller eastern unit is located in eastern Union County, on the border with Oklahoma and Texas. The grassland has a total area of 137,131 acres (55,495 ha).
The grassland is administered by the U.S. Forest Service together with the Cibola National Forest and the Black Kettle, McClellan Creek, and Rita Blanca National Grasslands, from common headquarters located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. There are local ranger district offices located in Clayton.
The community of Mills lies within the western unit of the Kiowa National Grassland. Clayton is the nearest town to the eastern unit of the Grassland.
Both units of the National Grassland consist of a patchwork quilt of public land interspaced with private land. Elevations on the Grassland range from 4,500 to 6,300 feet (1,400 to 1,900 m) which is high enough to moderate somewhat the summer temperatures of the Great Plains. The average high and low temperatures for Clayton in July are 87 °F (31 °C) and 60 °F (16 °C) and January highs and lows are 47 °F (8 °C) and 20 °F (−7 °C). Annual precipitation is about 15 inches (380 mm) throughout the Grassland with July and August the wettest months and January and February the driest.
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Wikipedia