Colorado Natural Areas Traditional Cache

Colorado Natural Areas – CNAP

Established by statute in 1977, the Colorado Natural Areas Program is a statewide program focused on the recognition and protection of areas that contain at least one unique or high-quality natural feature of statewide significance. The Colorado Natural Areas Program, working with interested landowners and dedicated volunteers, helps to conserve Colorado’s best places well into the future.

To date, more than 250 rare, threatened or endangered species and communities are monitored and cooperatively protected at 95 designated sites in Colorado, with more in the works. Natural areas are found on public or private land and are designated through land management agreements with landowners. CNAP is the only statewide program within Colorado that provides a system for recognizing these unique natural places. Information about the many designated natural areas can be found at the website (Colorado Parks & Wildlife - Colorado Natural Areas Program - CNAP ).

Staunton Natural Area

This Natural Area within Staunton State Park contains multiple populations of two rare plant species: the globally critically imperiled Rocky Mountain monkeyflower (Mimulus gemmiparus) and the globally imperiled James' telesonix (Telesonix jamesii). The site also contains an established nesting site for peregrine falcon and representative native plant communities, including montane riparian woodlands and wet meadows.

This site is within Staunton State Park, and Staunton State Park Volunteers assist the CNAP staff in the monitoring of the sensitive resources in the two parcels. Visitation to the designated parcels is discouraged or is not open to the public in order to protect sensitive resources. However, public access and visitation to the lower section of Black Mountain Creek between the new Lazy V Ranch parking lot and the sawmill ruins, as well as the areas adjacent to Chimney Rock and Elk Falls is possible.

The focus of this geocache is the lower section of Black Mountain Creek, and a rare association of plant communities located there. The geocache is located close to the creek, just off the Staunton Ranch trail. If you have the interest and the time, you may want to walk the Old Mill trail (hiker-only) from the Staunton Ranch trail for almost a mile until it meets the Borderline and Mason Creek trails immediately adjacent to the sawmill ruins. This will allow you to experience the riparian environment along the creek, and see the type of plants which are found in such a place. Please be prepared in winter for very icy conditions on this trail, and traction devices for you shoes are strongly recommended.

Environment

This association is a cool, moist riparian woodland occurring in deep, narrow canyons and alcoves in the foothills, at upper foothill or montane elevations (7200-8850 feet) in Utah, Colorado and possibly northern New Mexico. Stands of Blue spruce (the state tree of Colorado) are frequently found along year-round creeks, being more shade tolerant than other tree species at these elevations. River birch forms an open to thick band of understory in deep, sub-irrigated soils along narrow floodplains, streambanks and terraces. Both are wind-pollinated.

Vegetation Summary

Blue spruce (Picea pungens) dominates the upper canopy with 10-60% cover. Other trees that may be present include deciduous Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) (5-30% cover); Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) and Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) are mixed in to some extent, depending on soil moisture and available sunlight.

Photos of Blue Spruce

The shrub canopy is dominated by River birch (Betula occidentalis) with 5-40% cover. It can be recognized by the lenticels (horizontal breathing slits) on the stalks that facilitate gas exchange when plants are in saturated soils with low oxygen levels. Other shrubs that may be present include Rocky Mountain alder (Alnus incana tenuifolia) (10-35% cover), as well as several species of willows (Salix sp.). The alder can be distinguished from the birch by the more pointed leaves and catkins that resemble small pine cones rather than long dangling catkin shape of the birch.

Photos of River Birch

Photos of Rocky Mountain Alder

The herbaceous undergrowth can be dense to open, depending on the shade patterns. Wildflower species that may be present include Black eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), Cow parsnip (Heracleum sphondylium), Twisted stalk (Streptopus fassettii),Wild strawberry (Fragaria virginiana), Tall chiming bells (Mertensia ciliate), several orchid species, and Common horsetail (Equisetum arvense ). Several species of grass, sedge, and rush may also be seen, especially in marshy areas.

Forest Progression and Key Processes

This plant association appears to be stable and part of an old growth, mature forest, in which there are deep, narrow canyons with swift-moving streams and narrow floodplains and benches, Blue spruce appears to be a climax riparian species, will remain until removed or damaged by a catastrophic flood. It is a slow-growing, long-lived tree which regenerates from seed spread by its distinctive female cones. Seedlings are shallow-rooted and require perennially moist soils for establishment and optimal growth. Trees are intermediate in shade tolerance. River birch can tolerate flooding but not permanent inundation. Fire disturbance results in River birch resprouting and the regeneration of this forest with a transitional plant association such as Quaking aspen/River birch, which develops until the Blue spruce reaches heights that result in decline in aspen due to frequent shade.

Threats and Other Change Agents

This association is threatened by development, road building and maintenance, heavy recreational use, streamflow alterations, and improper livestock grazing throughout its range.

Global Distribution

This riparian woodland association is known from southern Utah and the central portion of the southern Rockies eastern slope in Colorado, and is expected to occur throughout the southern Rocky Mountains in Colorado and probably northern New Mexico. Its current conservation rating is G2/S2 (Imperiled), primarily due to human expansion into the remote forests and climate change.

This cache is located within Staunton State Park, which has one public entrance along S. Elk Creek Road, six miles west of Conifer, about 1.5 miles off U.S. Highway 285. Parking along either side of S. Elk Creek Road and Upper Ranch Road adjacent to the park boundary is prohibited. All vehicles entering the park must have a daily park pass ($10) or a CO state park annual or special pass.

The Park is open year-round, and day use hours at 6:00 am to 10:00 pm. A walk-in campground (up to ¼ mile from parking) is open for public use, and overnight parking is currently permitted only for those staying in the campground. During summer and autumn weekends, the park may reach capacity, and cars are allowed to enter only if a parking space is available. Horse trailers are admitted if space is available for parking trailers, in the new, dedicated, unpaved parking lot. All Park trails are natural surface, some trails are hiker-only, but other trails are multiuse for bicycles and horses also. Information about the park can be found at Staunton State Park website

All visitors must follow park rules and regulations. These include dogs on leash at all times, clean up after pets, travel on developed trails to the extent feasible, leave no trace, respect areas closed for resource management, and be careful around wildlife (especially mountain lions, coyotes, and black bears). Fires are strictly prohibited, except for camp stoves with an on/off switch in the designated campsites and grilles found in the picnic areas. No motorized vehicles are allowed on trails within the Park. An exception is the special tracked chairs that the Park offers to visitors who cannot access selected trails on their own mobility. Pack your own trash out of the back country, and trash receptacles are located near the parking areas. Also, be prepared for changing weather, bring adequate water and footwear, and trails may be snow-covered or icy in winter.