[2] The reserve is contiguous with the border of the United States and part of the Malpai Borderlands, a ranching and conservation area in New Mexico and Arizona.

The town of Janos was founded in 1580 by Franciscan missionaries and a military garrison was established in 1686 to protect it from Apache raids.

[2] In subsequent years, overgrazing and forestry companies significantly altered environmental conditions in the area, contributing to the extinction of grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horribilis), Mexican wolves (Canis lupus baileyi) and imperial woodpeckers (Campephilus imperialis) that inhabited the mountains.

[6] Notable animal species in the reserve include: the pronghorn (Antilocapra americana), North American porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum), green toad (Anaxyrus debilis), cougar (Puma concolor), burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia), golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) and American black bear (Ursus americanus).

[2] Notable plant species in the reserve include the cimarron walnut (Juglans major) and biznaga cabeza de viejo (Mammillaria senilis).