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Tools for Research and Management

Map looks at the loss of biodiversity in Boulder County

The web site for the Boulder County Civic Forum presents a series of quality of life indicators for the county, one of which looks at extirpated and declining mammals and birds. The map was the product of Jeff Moline and Dave Hallock, resource planners with Boulder County Parks and Open Space and regular BCNA volunteers. They utilized a number of information sources to produce a composite map that visually portrays the number of species extirpated or declining in the major eco-regions of the county over the past 150 years.

The results should be no surprise. The prairie and riparian habitats of the eastern county have suffered the greatest alterations from agriculture and urban/suburban development. Habitat fragmentation combined with the loss of native grassland has resulted in 15 to 25 mammal or bird species gone or going. Most wide-ranging species have been lost, including grizzly bear, gray wolf, bison and pronghorn antelope. Elk have lost most of their historic prairie habitat. Northern harriers, burrowing owls, and lark buntings, all of which were common 100 years ago, are now found in only a handful of locations. Whether or not prairie dogs can continue to persist in such a fragmented landscape will be one indicator of our future ecological health.

The foothills and mountains have fared better than the plains, but have still seen their share of losses. Again, wide-ranging mammals, particularly those that conflicted with human values (grizzly bear, gray wolf) are gone. Bighorn sheep have seen their range reduced to a small area in the northwest corner of the county; their long-term well-being will be another indicator of how well we take care of this place. Foothill riparian areas have been highly impacted by roads and homes leading to declines of willow flycatchers and red-headed woodpeckers.

To view the map, go to the Boulder County Civic Forum at http://www.bococivicforum.org/indicators/environment/31.html.