Following months of preparation, scientists from the Colorado Natural Heritage Program (CNHP) have begun their field data collection for the WBI-supported Biodiversity and Connectivity Study for the Roaring Fork Watershed. This multiyear, watershed-wide Study will produce maps and datasets using unbiased, scientifically defensible methods to identify 1) where high priority habitat currently exists; 2) areas where habitat would benefit from restoration; and 3) areas where connectivity issues exist between critical blocks of habitat.
While other studies and inventories of biodiversity in the Roaring Fork Watershed have been undertaken in the past, many of these were limited by jurisdictional boundaries. In addition, growth and increased development, along with climate-change driven impacts to habitat, necessitated an update to these existing resources to help conversation and land management agencies make informed decisions based on sound science.
A major hurdle to past studies has been access to and inclusion of private property in wildlife and habitat studies. 25% of the Roaring Fork Watershed’s almost million-acre area is privately owned, much of it as large swaths of ranch land. Wildlife managers and landowners have noted that ungulates are increasingly utilizing irrigated pastureland, particularly as part of their winter range. For these reasons inclusion of private land in WBI’s biodiversity Study is crucial.
WBI has been working with several owners of large ranches and other privately-owned open spaces throughout the Watershed over the last year to negotiate access for CNHP scientists to conduct habitat surveys. This work resulted in access to and inclusion of over 500 acres of private landholdings in the summer 2019 field sampling season. The success of this effort is indicative of not only the shared value placed on wildlife, but also the collaborative nature of WBI’s approach.
The CNHP scientists plan on focusing their efforts for the 2019 field season on mid-elevation plots, where many of the private lands exist. The team is hoping to capture at least 100 survey plots, and is working on refining their methodologies to extrapolate their ground-truthed data across the watershed as whole without sacrificing accuracy and resolution.
The CNHP team currently plans on covering the higher elevation areas of the Watershed in 2020.