NFRIA River Facts
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North Fork Watershed Facts

 

Riparian zone: the area along the bank or shore of a river or stream.

Ecosystem: a complex set of relationships among the living resources, habitats, and residents of an area.

Wildlife corridor: an area of habitat connecting separate wildlife populations, allowing the exchange of individuals beyond populations.

 

Riparian Zone

Riparian zones are the most species-diverse wildlife habitats in Colorado and are used by about 75% of the state’s wildlife. Riparian zones are vital to an ecosystem, providing food, water, shelter, and wildlife corridors for migration. However, the riparian habitats of the rivers and their tributaries in Colorado represent less than 1% of the total acreage of land, making their preservation a top priority.

Pollution

One of the main threats to riparian areas and watersheds in general is pollution. There are two types of pollution: point source and nonpoint source.

Point source pollution: emanates from a direct, specific source, such as a storm drain or sewage treatment plant.

Nonpoint source pollution: runoff (water washing over the land) entering waterways from diffuse land-based activities (such as highways or precipitation).

 

Nonpoint Source Pollution

Point Source Pollution

 

Biodiversity: the variety of life forms, including plants, animals, and micro-organisms.


A main feature of riparian areas is their biodiversity. Big game species in the North Fork watershed include mule deer, elk, black bear, and mountain lion. The river corridor and lowland areas provide critical winter habitat for elk and mule deer. Riparian habitats are essential for many species, such as frogs and toads, beaver, muskrat, waterfowl, and wading birds. However, changes to the riparian zones (many of which are manmade) threaten a number of species. In Colorado, these species are designated “species of special concern.”

Species of Special Concern

There are seven species in the North Fork watershed that the State of Colorado considers “Species of Concern” (Table 3-3).
Table 3-3: Species of Concern

Common Name (Scientific Name)

Status

Northern leopard frog (Rana pipiens)

Colorado species of concern

Peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus anatum)

Colorado species of concern

Whooping crane (Grus americana tabida)

Federally endangered 
Colorado endangered

Southwestern willow flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus)

Federally endangered 
Colorado endangered

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

Colorado threatened

Greater sandhill crane (Grus canadensis tabida)

Colorado species of concern

Western yellow-billed cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus)

Colorado species of concern

River otter (Lutra canadensis)

Colorado threatened

Source: http://wildlife.state.co.us/WildlifeSpecies/SpeciesOfConcern/


Northern Leopard Frog:  The northern leopard frog has seriously declined in some parts of Colorado. Population decline in many areas has been attributed to river diversions, wetland degradation, and predation by introduced bullfrogs and predatory fish (Hammerson 1999). Small populations of leopard frogs occur along the North Fork and along principal tributaries including Hubbard, Roatcap, Jay, Leroux, Muddy, Anthracite, Minnesota, and Cottonwood Creeks (CHNP 2000).

Peregrine Falcon: The Peregrine Falcon is known to exist in Delta and Gunnison Counties. Breeding pairs nest on cliffs and forage over adjacent coniferous and riparian forests. Migrants and winter residents occur mostly around reservoirs, rivers, and marshes, but may also be seen in grasslands, agricultural areas. The 2000 CHNP report documented a Peregrine Falcon roosting site near Crawford.

Whooping Crane: The Whooping Crane is the rarest bird in North America. Historic populations existed in Delta and Gunnison counties. Fruitgrowers Reservoir near Eckert, a few miles from the North Fork, used to be a significant stopover point for several thousand cranes each spring and fall; however Whooping Cranes have not been seen in Colorado since 2002. 

Southwest Willow Flycatcher: Willow flycatchers are neo-tropical migrant songbirds that breed in dense willow clumps or similar riparian vegetation throughout much of North America. The southwestern subspecies has experienced severe declines in recent decades due to degradation of riparian habitat and increased nest parasitism by brownheaded cowbirds, which thrive in rural agricultural areas. Most of the subspecies’ known breeding sites are along the Gunnison River west of Delta. In recent years, one to several pairs nested each year in the Escalante State Wildlife Area’s dense thickets of willow, tamarisk, Russian olive, and cottonwood. The 2000 CNHP study found that Terror and Anthracite Creeks offered potential breeding and migratory habitat for the Southwest Willow Flycatcher, while Terror and Cottonwood Creeks offered limited habitat. 

Bald Eagle: Bald eagle populations are on the rise in Colorado. Once limited to only two or three breeding pairs, the population has increased to hundreds. Bald eagle habitat includes wide valleys, reservoirs or rivers with well-developed cottonwood stands. According to the DOW NDIS, Bald eagle winter habitat in the North Fork includes Anthracite Creek, Paonia Reservoir, and the entire North Fork corridor below Paonia Reservoir – including the floodplain between Paonia and Hotchkiss. 

Greater Sandhill Crane: Greater Sandhill Cranes are migrants in Delta County, en route between their wintering grounds in New Mexico and breeding areas in Idaho and Montana. Enormous flocks of thousands of birds annually stop to rest in the irrigated pasturelands. Populations in Colorado are declining as a result of human settlement.

Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo:  The Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo inhabits lowland riparian forests. The historic range in Colorado included the western valleys and south of Mesa County. Over the past ten years, the North Fork is the only place in western Colorado where Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo breeding has been documented. The Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory confirmed cuckoo breeding on the North Fork in 2008 (Jason Beason, personal communication).
River Otter: River otters were once widespread in most Colorado Rivers, but by the early 1900s otters had been extirpated from the state. Unregulated trapping, water depletions, and decimation of fish populations all contributed to the decline. A reintroduction effort in the 1970s restored river otters to the Gunnison River above the confluence with the North Fork. Otters have since colonized downstream. However, otters are still relatively uncommon throughout the watershed, and they probably reach their greatest density in the Gunnison River from the North Fork confluence downstream to Escalante Creek. The most recent confirmed river otter sighting in the North Fork occurred during winter, 2007, below Paonia. It is unknown if there is a breeding population on the North Fork, but the sighting suggests that the North Fork provides wintering habitat for the species.

General River Facts for Colorado

Colorado is a headwaters state. This means that Colorado is the source of many major rivers, all of which flow out of the state. The Colorado Rocky Mountains create the headwaters for four regional watersheds that eventually supply water to 19 Western states. Those four regional watersheds are the Arkansas, Colorado, Rio Grande and Missouri (South Platte). No major rivers flow into Colorado. Our rivers are made primarily of snowmelt that soaks into the ground or runs into streams.

In Colorado, the freshwater usage breakdown is as follows (as of 2006):

  • Agriculture: 86%
  • Municipal/Domestic: 7%
  • Recreation/Fisheries: 3%
  • Industrial/Commercial: 2%
  • Augmentation: 1%
  • Recharge: 1%
 

North Fork River Improvement Association :: 122A East Bridge Street :: PO BOX 682 ::Hotchkiss, CO 81419

P: 970.872.4614 :: F: 970.872.4621 :: support@nfria.org

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