I live off-grid in northern NM, approx 6 miles east of El Vado Damn. Submitting this one-time report due to the severity of conditions, namely the parcity of rainfall and its attendant consequences. Yes, the ground is parched, grasses now yellow and wild flowers nonexistent; but now bird communities are mostly gone and, of course, insects have mostly vanished too, so much so that the sonic environment has grown mostly silent. The squirrels have retreated, to where I don't know but they've thinned to one sole creature that still roams in search of food and water. Most bothersome is that the sage is dying--that tenacious, seemingly indestructible bush has withered to the point that looking out across the fields of sage it seems as though 30-40% is now bare of leaves, reduced to twisted brown-grey sticks. It's not that this has been especially harsh, though we're approx 25% below normal, it's the longer sequence of dryness that seems to be dampening resilience.  The grass turns yellow quicker, the birds fly off sooner, and on. And you wonder for the longer term viability