Vegetation index of biotic integrity (VIBI) for headwater wetlands in the southern Rocky Mountains: version 2.0: calibration of selected VIBI models

Prepared for: Colorado Dept. of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife, Wetlands Program, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 8.March 16, 2009.Includes bibliographical references

Field testing of the Subalpine-Montane Riparian Shrublands: ecological integrity assessment (EIA) in the Blue River Watershed, Colorado

Prepared for: Colorado Dept. of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife, Wetlands Program; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 8.November 2009.Includes bibliographical references

National Wetland Inventory (NWI) mapping of the Cache la Poudre and South Platte Rivers

Prepared for: Save the Poudre: Poudre Waterkeeper.March 23, 2011.Includes bibliographical references

Assessing the natural range of variability in minimally disturbed wetlands across the Rocky Mountains: the Rocky Mountain ReMAP Project

Prepared for: the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.Includes bibliographical references (pages 35-40).In Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and Utah, extremes of mountain climate, high elevations and characteristic geology produce a large range of natural variability within ecological systems. Even under minimal human disturbance regimes, environmental gradients can result in wetlands with very low vegetation cover, low species diversity and unpredictable hydrologic shifts. Documenting the range of variability found under minimally disturbed conditions can help distinguish signal from noise when assessing more altered occurrences, and aid in the calibration of assessment metrics. The project was a collaboration between the Montana Natural Heritage Program (MTNHP), the Colorado Natural Heritage Program (CNHP) and the Wyoming Natural Diversity Database (WYNDD). It had three objectives:1) identify reference standards for four wetland ecological systems across four Rocky Mountain ecoregions; 2) assess the range of natural variability of these ecological systems; and3) produce a regionally standardized Level 1,2 and 3 method for assessing and monitoring wetland condition, including quality assurance project plans, sampling strategies, and metrics calibrated to the four different wetland ecological systems. This report summarizes our approach, activities, and conclusions

Wetland mapping and fen survey in the White River National Forest

Prepared for: John Proctor, Forest Botanist, White River National Forest.Includes bibliographical references (page 10).In January 2011, Colorado State University and the Colorado Natural Heritage Program (CNHP) contracted with the White River National Forest (WRNF) to complete wetland mapping and fen field surveys within the White River National Forest (WRNF). Since, 2008, CNHP has been working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Wetland Inventory (NWI) Program and numerous funding partners to create a comprehensive digital map of wetlands for the state of Colorado by 2015. The digitizing and mapping of the wetlands within the WRNF is integral to CNHP's goal to determine the extent and location of wetlands across the state. In addition to the digitizing of the 124 NWI maps, a subset of mapped wetlands consisting of 39 (original number was 25) fens were field surveyed during 2011. The data collected from this project will be added to the CNHP database of critical biological resources, including unique wetlands such as fens. This project will continue to build upon CNHP's past wetland survey and assessment projects

Assessment of wetland condition on the Rio Grande National Forest

Prerpared for: USDA Forest Service, Rio Grande National Forest.October 2012.Includes bibliographical references (pages 41-43).The Rio Grande National Forest (RGNF) covers 1.83 million acres in south central Colorado and contains the very headwaters of the Rio Grande River. The Forest’s diverse geography creates a template for equally diverse wetlands, which provide important ecological services to both the RGNF and lands downstream. Though now recognized as a vital component of the landscape, many wetlands have been altered by a range of human land uses since European settlement. Across the RGNF, mining, logging, reservoirs, water diversions, grazing, and recreation have all impacted wetlands. In order to adequately manage and protect wetland resources on the RGNF, reliable data are needed on their location, extent and condition. In total, 77 wetland sites were surveyed across the RGNF. Nearly 500 plant taxa were encountered during the surveys, including 445 identified to the species level. Wetland condition measures indicate that wetlands on the RGNF are in excellent to good condition. Floristic quality assessment indices were high for most wetlands, though did vary by both elevation and wetland type. Multi-metric Ecological Integrity Assessment (EIA) scores rated most wetlands with an A- or B-rank, indicating that wetlands were either in reference condition or deviated only slightly from reference condition. A handful of wetlands received C-ranks, due to stressors including grazing, hydrologic modifications, and surrounding land use

Wetlands section of the 2012 Colorado Integrated Water Quality Monitoring Report

Prepared pursuant to Section 303(d) and Section 305(b) of the Clean Water Act. 2012 Update to the 2010 305(b) Report.Includes bibliographical references.This report is an excerpt of the Wetlands section from the The Colorado 2012 Integrated Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment Report. The Wetlands section provides an overview of selected U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) funded wetland projects in Colorado, primarily focused on inventory and condition assessment

Fens of Yellowstone National Park, USA: regional and local controls over plant species distribution

2007 Summer.Includes bibliographical references.Regional and local scale gradients controlling plant species distribution in mountain fens were studied in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA. Data on vascular and nonvascular plant cover, groundwater and soil chemistry, landforms, microtopography, and regional gradients of elevation, precipitation, and bedrock geology were collected and analyzed for 476 relevés from 166 fens. The pH of groundwater supporting fens ranged from 2.89 to 7.98. Six major bedrock types influence the chemical content of groundwater: three volcanic types, a glacial till complex containing sedimentary deposits, and two rock types altered by geothermal activity. Twenty-eight plant communities were identified through cluster analysis and table methods. Vegetation data were related to environmental gradients using DCA, CCA, and CCA with variance partitioning. The main environmental gradients affecting vascular plant species were site landform and stand topography, which separated fens formed in basins from sloping fens. Bryophytes were more strongly correlated with the acidity/alkalinity gradient of groundwater pH. For all species, the regional variables elevation, annual precipitation, and groundwater chemistry accounted for 40.7% of the total variation explained, while local variables site landform, stand topography and microtopography, and soil characteristics accounted for 43.9%

Vision for building comprehensive wetland information for the State of Colorado

15-Dec-1

North Platte River Basin wetland profile and condition assessment

Prepared for: Colorado Parks and Wildlife Wetland Wildlife Conservation Program, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 8.Includes bibliographical references (pages 88-93).This report summarizes finding from the second basinwide wetland condition assessment, conducted in the North Platte River Basin. The initial step in each project is to compile a "wetland profile" based on digital wetland mapping. Wetland profiles summarize the types, abundance, and distribution of wetlands among ecoregions and landownership within a given geographic area and can be used to establish baseline conditions, assess cumulative impacts, and inform conservation planning. The second step in each project is to conduct a field-based assessment of ecological condition and associated stressors that can be extrapolated to all wetland area in the basin. Assessing the ecological condition of wetlands within each basin provides a coarse filter for prioritizing on-the-ground efforts to protect and restore wetland habitat. Through this project, CPW and CNHP developed a wetland profile of the North Platte River Basin to document the spatial distribution of wetlands, conducted a field-based assessment of wetland condition, and used the data to estimate both overall condition of wetlands and the availability of wetland habitat across the basin