CNHP's 2015 Annual Report Now Available

CNHP's 2015 Annual Report is now available on our website. Click here to read it!

Hops blue butterfly talk at the High County Lepidopterists’ Conference

Zoologist Rob Schorr (top left) and students
Callie Puntenney and Emily Vavra at the event 

Zoologist Rob Schorr and honors undergraduate students Callie Puntenney and Emily Vavra attended the 25th Annual High Country Lepidopterists’ Conference at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science November 8, 2014.  Rob presented their work estimating the habitat occupancy of the hops blue butterfly (Celastrina humulus) along Monument Creek at the U.S. Air Force Academy.  The abstract from their work is published in the first Denver Museum of Nature and Science Reports publication.

Common Wetland Plants of Colorado’s Eastern Plains: A Pocket Guide

CNHP is excited to announce the release of the Common Wetland Plants of Colorado’s Eastern Plains: A Pocket Guide.  The pocket guide is a complimentary publication to the comprehensive Field Guide to Colorado’s Wetland Plants. The Pocket Guide highlights common wetland plants, both native and non-native located within the Eastern Plains. It is designed to help landowners and other wetland managers correctly identify common wetland plants, manage for preferred species, and control noxious ones.

Cover photo: a playa on the plains

The Pocket Guide contains 119 species with 6 key characteristics (with bolded highlights of diagnostic characters), similar species, habitat and ecology comments, and management comments.

Sample page from the pocket guide

This project was made possible with an U.S. EPA, Region 8, Wetlands Program Development Grant with in-kind match from the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Wetland Program and Colorado State University. The Pocket Guide is available for free from CNHP or can be mailed for $6.00 shipping and handling cost.  One can order from the CNHP Wetland Information Center website here or contact Denise Culver (Denise.Culver@colostate.edu) for more information.

New Report: Treeline Monitoring in the San Juan Basin Tundra

Mountain ecosystems, particularly alpine, are among the most vulnerable to climate change. Warming conditions are likely to cause trees and shrubs to encroach into alpine tundra habitats, which are home to many species found nowhere else.

CHNP, in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service and Colorado College, began a pilot project to monitor treeline expansion in the San Juan mountains. A combination of fieldwork and spatial analysis was used to determine if the treeline on the southwest slope of Kendall Mountain had changed in the last 50 years.

Aerial imagery from 1951 and 2011 were used to establish transects perpendicular to the treeline to detect growth of new trees upslope, which would indicate an upward advancement of trees into alpine areas. The location of trees along these transects were then field verified, and a subset of trees were cored to determine their age. Additionally, the density of trees below the treeline was calculated for both time periods.

Recruitment above treeline

Results show that the treeline has not advanced significantly in the last 50 years. However, there are signs of upslope recruitment (trees between 20-50 years old above the current treeline, but not in sufficient density to form a new treeline). Should this area of new recruitment continue to fill in and become the new treeline, it will be 160 feet above the existing line. Additionally, tree density below the current treeline has increased by approximately 12% in the last 50 years. All tree cores taken demonstrated an increase in growth rate since 1996.

For more information, see the complete report. We hope to expand this pilot project to study more treelines throughout the San Juan mountains, to determine if these increases in growth rate and tree density are consistent trends that can be correlated with measured increases in average summer temperatures.

Mesa Verde cactus 20-year demographic study published

Results of a 20-year study of the Federally Listed (Threatened) Mesa Verde cactus (Sclerocactus mesae-verdae) were recently published in the journal Western North American Naturalist. CNHP ecologist Karin Decker co-authored the paper, along with Janet Coles and Tamara Naumann, both of the National Park Service.

Mancos shale - favorite habitat of Mesa Verde cactus.

Funded by the US Fish and Wildlife Service through the Colorado Natural Areas Program, the study followed individually marked cactus plants over the period from 1986 to 2005. Each year, researchers measured every cactus stem in 3 different plots in southwestern Colorado, and recorded reproductive status and damage or mortality. A total of 1629 stems were measured. At least 30 cactus plants lived through the entire study period and were still going strong when last observed. Clearly, twenty years may not be long enough for the study of some long-lived species! Read the abstract here.

This little plant is about 4 cm (1.6 inches)  in diameter, and probably at least 7 years old.

Population decline in the Preble’s meadow jumping mouse

Long-term population sampling for the Preble’s meadow jumping mouse (PMJM) has allowed Rob Schorr to estimate population change (λ) for the population along Monument Creek at the U.S. Air Force Academy (Academy).  Using mark-recapture techniques and a novel population model that allows estimation of survival and recruitment, Schorr estimated changes in PMJM λ from 2000-2006.  Although λ varied annually, the 7-year mean showed a declining population, and λ was less impacted by changes in PMJM survival than by changes in PMJM recruitment.

A Preble's meadow jumping mouse (Zapus hudsonius preblei) keeps a sharp eye on the photographer.

Recruitment can be influenced by immigration or reproduction.  Given the loss of habitat along eastern tributaries of Monument Creek, there are limited opportunities for increasing immigration from these tributaries and this may be a driving force during this time.  However, Schorr warns that this may be a temporary decline that will be compensated by increased reproduction or immigration from western tributaries that are on the Academy.

PMJM habitat along Monument Creek.

This study will be published in the October 2012 Journal of Mammalogy.

Rob Schorr and friend. Photo by James Dwyer.

Pre-order the new wetland plant field guide

CNHP will pubish a new Field Guide to Colorado’s Wetland Plants: Identification, Ecology and Conservation in early 2013. The guide will include:

• Non-technical descriptions, photos and illustrations of over 700 wetland plants 
• Divided into eight physiognomic groups
• Up-to-date Wetland Indicator Status Codes 
• Key characteristics, similar species, animal and bird use
• Colorado distribution map

Sample field guide page.

Pre-order your copy today by emailing Denise Culver.

New Report: Survey of Critical Biological Resources Jefferson County

In 2010, Jefferson County contracted with CNHP to re-survey for critical biological resources in the county. We had performed an initial biological inventory for Jefferson County in 1993. Changing landscapes, continued urban population growth, and the fact that no one survey can be fully comprehensive prompted our return in 2010-2011.

The purpose of the project was to provide scientific data on biological resources for land managers, planners, and the citizens of Jefferson County for conducting proactive landscape planning.

The final report, which is now on our reports page, is intended to be a tool for managing lands that support rare, imperiled and/or sensitive plants, animals, and significant plant habitats, particularly wetlands. The information in this report can be utilized for assessing candidate conservation areas, their acquisition values, and to assist with meeting the goals identified in the update to Jefferson County's 2008 Open Space Master Plan. This project provides data that will allow staff to make informed determinations regarding land management to ensure Jefferson County resource values are protected and sustained.

New Report: Year 7 Weed Monitoring at the Air Force Academy

CNHP GIS Program Manager Amy Lavender walks a Canada thistle monitoring transect at the Farish Memorial Recreation Area.

CNHP staff Renée Rondeau and Amy Lavender completed their seventh year of noxious weed monitoring, analysis, and reporting for the U.S. Air Force Academy (AFA) and Farish Memorial Recreation Area (FMRA) near Colorado Springs.

The latest report includes a summary of the results of the past seven years of population monitoring of targeted noxious weeds, emphasizing changes that were observed between 2010 and 2011.

This report and all previous years' reports are available on the CNHP reports page.

Highlights of 2011 monitoring include:

• Russian knapweed: aggressive spraying has extirpated the few known populations. Continued monitoring is necessary to assure that this species is permanently eliminated from the AFA.
• Musk thistle: Number of plants increased over at the AFA despite treatments, but the species appears to be declining at FMRA.
• Canada thistle: cover increased in untreated areas at AFA, but the species appears to be declining at FMRA.
• Leafy spurge: At this time, herbicide treatment appears more effective than biocontrol, and should be continued.
• Myrtle spurge: Aggressive treatment is having a positive impact, but the species is not yet eradicated.
• St. Johnswort: Overall, the 2011 occupied area and number of individuals remained similar to 2010. Careful and coordinated treatment should continue.
• Scotch thistle: occupied acres remain the same, but density of individuals is decreasing. Ongoing weed management is critical for this species.
• Spotted knapweed: this species has reached high numbers. We intend to conduct an herbicide vs. biocontrol study in 2012, utilizing the predicted models developed in 2009 to develop the study in collaboration with Texas A&M.
• Tamarisk: continued management and monitoring is necessary, but treatments appear to be keeping this species under control.
• Houndstongue and Dalmatian toadflax: these two species are relatively new to the area. Aggressive treatment in resulted in the eradication of Dalmatian toadflax, but houndstongue is still present.
• Yellow bedstraw: This weed was discovered at one area in 2010. Rapid response has been very effective.
• Yellow toadflax: Mixed results at FMRA suggest this species was eliminated from one area but continuing to increase in others.

New report: North Platte River Basin Wetland Condition Assessment

CNHP Wetland Ecologists recently completed work on a three year project assessing the condition of wetlands in the North Platte River Basin. The project was carried out collaboratively with Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW)’s Wetland Wildlife Conservation Program and with CPW GIS Analysts. The final report, "North Platte River Basin Wetland Profile and Condition Assessment," is now available on our Reports page.

The report summarizes findings for the four primary project objectives:

1. Compiling existing spatial data on wetlands in the North Platte River Basin to develop a wetland profile;
2. Conducting a statistically valid, field-based survey of wetland condition in the basin;
3. Modeling the distribution of wetland condition throughout the basin using collected field data and additional spatial data on potential stressors; and
4. Determining metrics to measuring key habitat features for priority waterfowl species.

To create the wetland profile, a wetlands had to be digitally mapped for the entire basin. At the outset of the project, National Wetland Inventory (NWI) data was available for less than 10% of the basin, so it was up to CPW and CNHP to map the rest. The completed dataset was used to summarize wetland acreage and type in a number of different ways. There are over 131,000 acres of wetlands in the North Platte Basin, with the majority (77%) being freshwater herbaceous wetlands, with shrub wetlands being the second most common (20%).

Mapped wetlands in the North Platte Basin. (click to enlarge)

To assess condition of wetlands in the basin, 95 randomly selected wetland sites were visited in the field and surveyed for 1) Landscape Context, 2) Biotic Condition, 3) Hydrologic condition, and 4) Physiochemical Condition. Scores were produced for each site visited and then extrapolated to estimate wetland condition of all non-irrigated wetland acres. A predictive model of wetland condition was also developed to predict the condition of wetlands not visited in the field. The results of this project provide a baseline assessment of wetland quantity and condition and will inform conservation and watershed protection.

Erick Carlson and Laurie Gilligan sampling wetlands for the project.

Condition of sampled sites was assessed using the Floristic Quality Assessment, Ecological Integrity Assessment (EIA), and Vegetation Index of Biotic Integrity methods. Extrapolated results indicate that 34% of all wetland acres in the basin would receive an overall EIA rank of A (excellent!), 48% would receive a B, and 17% would receive a C. Across all methods, trends clearly indicate that wetlands in the North Platte River Basin are overall still in very good condition.

Ecological Integrity Assessment scores applied to wetlands across the basin.

A statewide Level 1 GIS-based Landscape Integrity Model for wetlands was applied to the North Platte River Basin. Results from the model show that although only 10% of the total basin area falls within the severe stress category, 27% of the wetland acres fall within the severe stress category and an additional 50% fall within the high stress category. Higher stress wetlands are located in the valleys where human activities have altered the landscape.

Wetland Landscape Integrity model.
Areas of anthropogenic stress (red) correlate well to EIA scores < A.

Habitat features potentially important to waterfowl were identified by CPW Avian Biologists and a crosswalk between the habitat features and NWI codes was developed. Based on this crosswalk, almost all (90%) of the wetlands in the basin are types important to waterfowl.

New report: Climate change vulnerability assessment of the Gunnison Basin

A new report is available on our Documents and Reports page. The Gunnison Basin climate change vulnerability assessment report was a joint effort between the Colorado Natural Heritage Program, The Nature Conservancy, the University of Colorado, Boulder, and the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. The project was done for the Gunnison Climate Working Group, a partnership of public and private organizations working to build the resilience of species and ecosystems so that they continue to provide benefits to people of the Gunnison Basin.

The project identified which species and ecosystems of the Gunnison Basin, Colorado, are likely to be most at risk to projected climatic changes and why they are likely to be vulnerable. The report is intended to help natural resource managers set priorities for conservation, develop effective adaptation strategies, and build resilience in the face of climate change.

Nine new Rare Plant Conservation Initiative reports available

Ipomopsis polyantha. Photo by David G. Anderson.

Phew! In a flurry of activity, CNHP and TNC Botanists and Conservation Planners have finalized a whopping 9 new reports for both statewide and local Conservation Action Plans as a part of the collaborative Colorado Rare Plant Conservation Initiative.

The reports are:

• Arkansas Valley Action Plan 2011 Update
• Big Gypsum Valley and Dry Creek Basin Preliminary Action Plan
• Colorado Wildlife Action Plan: proposed rare plant addendum
• Gateway Preliminary Action Plan
• Middle Park Action Plan 2011 Update
• North Park Action Plan 2011 Update
• Pagosa Springs Action Plan 2011 Update
• Piceance Basin Action Plan 2011 Update
• Plateau Creek and Miramonte Reservoir West Preliminary Action Plan

Each report is available in PDF form from our Documents and Reports page, as well as from our Botany Team page.

New Wetland journal article

Dr. David Cooper and Joanna taking data in a large basin site south of Yellowstone Lake.

CNHP Wetland Ecologist Joanna Lemly has had her graduate thesis work on fens in Yellowstone National Park published in the journal Botany.

The paper:
Lemly, J.M. and D.J. Cooper. 2011. Multiscale factors control community and species distribution in mountain peatlands. Botany 89: 689-713.

Joanna assembling an 8 foot peat probe, though she often found that the peat went deeper than the probe!

Fens are peat-forming wetlands that are fairly rare in the western U.S., but contribute significantly to regional biodiversity, supporting a number of rare plant and animal species. Joanna's study characterized the vegetation composition of fens in Yellowstone and analyzed the various environmental factors that influence them.

Congratulations Joanna!

New Zoology journal article

CNHP Zoologists Rob Schorr and Brad Lambert, in collaboration with Eric Freels of the Dolores Public Lands Office, have published a paper in the journal Herpetological Conservation and Biology.

The paper is:
Schorr, R.A., B.A. Lambert, and E. Freels. 2011. Habitat use and home range of long-nosed leopard lizards (Gambelia wislizenii) in Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, Colorado. Herpetological Conservation and Biology 6(2):312-323.

Eric Freels, Wildlife Biologist for the Dolores Public Lands Office records habitat characteristics at a sample plot. Photo by Rob Schorr.

The paper reports on Rob and Brad's past fieldwork radio-tracking lizards and provides valuable information about this poorly studied and rare species.

CNHP Botanist wins award from Michigan Botanical Club

CNHP Botanist Pam Smith has been awarded the Isobel Dickinson Memorial Award for the best student paper published in The Michigan Botanist in 2007. (2007? Yes, well, these things take time...)

The paper that won the award is: Smith, P.F. and D.W. Woodland. 2007. Forest Composition Study of the Great Lakes Coastal Forest at Warren Dunes State Park, Berrien County, MI. The Michigan Botanist: 46(2), pp 33-62.

The topic of this paper was part of a larger study conducted by Pam for her Master's thesis:
Smith, P.F., and D.W. Woodland. 2006. Vascular Plants Study of Warren Dunes State Park, Berrien County, Michigan. The Michigan Botanist: v45(1), pp 1-58.

The Michigan Botanist is a peer-reviewed journal about plant life in the Great Lakes Region, and is published quarterly by the Michigan Botanical Club, the native plant society for the state of Michigan. The club will announce the award at its 2011 fall meeting.

Congratulations Pam!

Two new county survey reports

CNHP staff have completed their Survey of Critical Biological Resources of Teller County, Colorado, and the report is now on our Documents and Reports page.

Some highlights of the survey include:

• New locations for one of the world's rarest plants, Pikes Peak spring parsley (Oreoxis humilus).
• One of the best known occurrence of the montane population of the Gunnison prairie dog (Cynomys gunnisoni).
• Re-discovery of a 1902 sighting of the spiny-spored quillwort (Isoetes setacea ssp. muricata).

For a concise and attractive summary of the report, see our Natural Treasures of Teller County brochure.

 We have also just finished our report on the Survey of Critical Wetlands of Gilpin County, Colorado, also available on our Documents and Reports page.

The wetland resources of Gilpin County are truly unique with an amazing richness of rare fauna and flora well worth preserving for future generations. The diversity of species and plant communities that range from montane riparian woodlands to alpine lakes substantiate the important contribution of wetlands in the County to the biodiversity of both Colorado and the nation. Overall, the concentration and quality of imperiled species and habitats attest to the fact that conservation efforts in Gilpin County will have both statewide and global significance.

New Report - Year 6 Weed Monitoring at the Air Force Academy

CNHP Ecologist Renée Rondeau, Chief Scientist Dave Anderson, and GIS Manager Amy Lavender have completed their sixth year of noxious weed monitoring, analysis, and reporting for the U.S. Air Force Academy near Colorado Springs.

In 2009 the sampling methodology of this project was adjusted based on analyses of data from the past four years, and the fieldwork was streamlined to focus resources on the most urgent weed management challenges. Increased emphasis has been given to invasive weeds for which relatively inexpensive management efforts have a high probability of success.

The latest report includes a summary of the results of the past six years of population monitoring of targeted noxious weeds, emphasizing changes that were observed between 2009 and 2010. For the Year 5 report we developed a suitable habitat model and predicted the pace of spread for spotted knapweed. During the 2010 field season we field verified these models.

See the full report on our new and improved reports webpage.

A 4 meter sampling plot showing infestation with Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense).

Check out our improved Reports page

Big thanks go out to CNHP Web Intern Ryan Nelson, IT Tech Garrett Pichler, and members of our Ecology Team for improving the functionality of our Documents and Reports Page. You can now filter all of our online reports by title, author, or year. Just click on the Filter Reports button on the web page to get the filter form:

We hope to soon add additional filters, such as by county and discipline, so stayed tuned for further improvements, and let us know what you think.

New Report - Lowry Range Biological Survey 2010 Update

The 26,000-acre Lowry Range is located at the southeastern edge of the greater metropolitan Denver area, and is bordered by the City of Aurora and the Aurora Reservoir on its western boundary. The Range is part of the former 100,000-acre Lowry Bombing and Gunnery Range. This piece of land is now held in trust for the State of Colorado by the Colorado State Board of Land Commissioners (SBLC) and is a property of the State's School Trust.

The purpose of this assessment was to identify significant biological values of Lowry Range (especially occurrence of species in need of conservation), and to evaluate the health of the ecological systems. This report is an update to the original 2006 report, and incorporates all of the findings from both 2005 and 2010 surveys. The 2010 biological survey was focused on the area most likely to undergo water and energy development in the near future. The results of this assessment will assist the SBLC in evaluating potential conservation easement scenarios and energy and water development projects, as well as improve understanding of how development might affect the existing biological resources of Lowry Range.

The results of the surveys confirm that there are 12 uncommon and rare species of animals, including an excellent quality occurrence of one of Colorado's rarest small mammal subspecies, the northern pocket gopher (Thomomys talpoides macrotis). The global distribution of this subspecies is limited to only 3 counties within Colorado, and conservation of the northern pocket gopher population on Lowry Range is essential to conserving this subspecies.

For more information, download the full report from our Documents and Reports page.

JE Canyon Bioblitz Book

CNHP Conservation Planning Team Leader Renée Rondeau and Dina Clark of the Denver Botanic Gardens have put together a book about last year’s bioblitz at JE Canyon in southeast Colorado. The book documents the 24-hour intensive inventory that took place in June 2010, during which 865 species were documented on the ranch. It is full of great photos – check it out here at Blurb.com.