Ecoregions of Colorado

Home , Mesa de Maya, San Luis Valley, Southwestern Tablelands, Uinta Basin

Lake Flaming 18 25 Gorge 18 McConaughy Reservior 18 21 Cheyenne 21

WYOMING Julesburg L 18a 18a 21c a 25d 21d 21d r 21c 18e 21c a 18f 21f 21b m S 25d 25c 18e ie N 19 r 21f er r T v 18d 18e e Ri v e e i R M t v i at 18 Wyoming Basin i v l R P M e E R I h 21e E r 21d ut 18a e 21a e D o k t I M North Sterling S t 18a Rolling Sagebrush Steppe C A a a l I n N R Reservoir S P E 21b A 18e h L 18d Foothill Shrublands and Low Mountains e t Walden l r r t B it o e L O he l v N Cac a Poudre River i W 18e Salt Desert Shrub Basins R 21a n Sterling e NORTH 25c 18a 21aM Holyoke e r 18f Laramie Basin PARK T

G N 21b Horsetooth pa Riv 21i Fort Collins m S Dinosaur NM Ya er Reservoir Craig 21c Steamboat 25d 20b Springs P 21f 20 Colorado Plateaus A 21a 20c R 21a 25b 20c 21c K 21f Greeley 20a Monticello-Cortez Uplands and Sagebrush Valleys R Estes Park Prewitt A Loveland Riverside Reservoir N Jackson Lake 25b 21a Reservoir 20b Shale Deserts and Sedimentary Basins G 21a Rocky 20b E Mountain NP 20b 21f 21g 21b 25l Fort 20c Semiarid Benchlands and Canyonlands 20f Empire Morgan 25c 21b 21e 21a 25b Reservoir 25b 20d Arid Canyonlands W h Lake Akron i Longmont te 21f Granby R MIDDLE 20e Escarpments 20c ive 21e 21e E Wray r PARK r 25b G 20f e Rangely N v 20f Uinta Basin Floor Meeker i A NEBRASKA 20b Kremmling R R

Boulder e 20b t KANSAS 21i T t N a 25d D 21a 21e l O P o 21 Southern Rockies R Brighton u 21g TOPS 25b g LAT 21c F h l HE F t a 20c T u s o 21a Alpine Zone S 25c C ver r 21g Ri ee k o 21f 25d 21b Crystalline Subalpine Forests d ver 21e a Ri r 21a o 21f Golden l 21e 21d Denver aree 21c Crystalline Mid-Elevation Forests o Arik 25 C 21a Georgetown Aurora Bonny 21d Foothill Shrublands 21d Eagle 25c Reservoir Cherry Creek 21e Sedimentary Subalpine Forests UTAH Reservoir 21b er Littleton iv Rifle Glenwood Springs 21a 25c R 21f Sedimentary Mid-Elevation Forests LIFFS 21b Chatfield 25b 20e C Reservoir an N lic A 20b ub 21g Volcanic Subalpine Forests K O Breckenridge ep BOO CL R 21d R IF rk 21h Volcanic Mid-Elevation Forests F 21f Roa o S ring 21e 26i h F 21e F 21a 21b 21a Castle out or Rock 26i S 21i Sagebrush Parks k 21f Burlington Riv 21e GRAND VALLE er 21a 21b Kiowa 25d 25d 21j Grassland Parks C 21c 26i 26i 25d o 20c Leadville lo 20b 21b Limon ra 21c 20 do Fairplay 21c 25d R Y Aspen iv 21f 25d 22 Arizona/New Mexico Plateau e E 21a r r L 21i e Hugo 21e v K i Colorado Grand Junction M R 25c 22a San Luis Shrublands and Hills MESA T 21f e NM N D t N S S t 20b A A 21c a R 21f l 22b San Luis Alluvial Flats and Wetlands 21g G W 21a P 26j A 21b 21j Florissant 21e T h Fossil C t H 21a 22c Salt Flats 21a u 21f Antero o Beds NM R S AN Reservoir 22e Sand Dunes and Sand Sheets 21b GE 21b SOUTH 21f Paonia 21i Cheyenne Wells 21a 21e PARK Colorado Springs 20c 20b 21g 21g 21a Big 20d River 21a 21a S n son 21b an Gun i 21g 21j Cripple dy 25 High Plains Delta 21g 21h Creek 21a Creek 21g D U 21a 21b 25b 25b Rolling Sand Plains o 21c 21h 21g n 25d l 21b o WEST ELK 21e 21g c 21a r o e MTNS 25c Moderate Relief Plains s UNCOMPAHGRE PLATEAU m Black Canyon 21a p 21i 26k R of the 21f a 21g 21c i h v Gunnison NP 25d Flat to Rolling Plains e g Gunnison r 21b re Tomi Salida 21f R Montrose 21h chi 25l Front Range Fans 21 i C 21c Eads v re 21b 21c e ek 21c r 21f ver 26h Blue Mesa GUNNISON BASIN Ri 20b 21a 21b s 26e Neesopah P Reservoir sa Canon City AR an Reservoir A rk 26 Southwestern Tablelands D 21c 21c A 21d O X 21e 21h 21a V A 21e 21f 21a L 21f Adobe Creek 26e Piedmont Plains and Tablelands LE 21e 21f 21g Y 20b 21e A Reservoir 21f Pueblo rkan 26k 20c 21g 21h sas R Ordway 26f Mesa de Maya/Black Mesa 21h 22a iv Lake SA er 21h N Meredith 21f G 26g Purgatoire Hills and Canyons R r 20b 21j E Westcliffe e John Martin Arkansa 20b v Lamar s D 21h D i R Reservoir R 26h Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands and Savannas r 21a E iv 20b y C 21f Lake S Las Animas er r 21g a 21b C 21h 21c o 26k e City n n ek Saguache R a

I f 26k 26i Pine-Oak Woodlands L r Ouray S e

21j u T u 25b

i 21f O 21f 20b s H R 26h 26j Foothill Grasslands

Telluride C A r La Junta S r N N e 21g MT e 21c 21j 21b AN e G 21f v 26k Sand Sheets U 22c k E i J 21h R 21 21a 21a 21a 21g AN 21a Creede a Dove S 21a 21a p ha Creek 22e is Silverton 21a p 21a 22a A 21d Great Sand 21d 20c SAN LUIS VALLEY Dunes NP 21a 21a 21j 20a 21a Del Norte 21b r 21a 21h 26h e R 22b San Luis 21e 21b Walsenburg iv io G R r Lake 26h an 21c e 21e d r e 21a 21b 21e 26h 26h i Level III ecoregion 21a to 21b ga 21c 26h r 26h u 26g Level IV ecoregion 21g 21c 21f P Alamosa 21d 21a 21a County boundary Canyons 21b Springfield of the Cortez 21e State boundary Ancients NM 21d 21a 20c 21a A Durango 21h la River 21f 21e mosa r r e 21b Mesa Verde NP e 21a iv 21f 25d v i Pagosa Springs R R 22a

r r ta o e e la v j San Luis v i e P i n Trinidad 20a 21f R 21h o 20b a R C 21d L 20a 21e 21a 21d 26h a n 22a 21a r a 21a 20c d u Antonito e J cos River i 26f 20d an P an 25c 25b M S 22b ARIZONA 21d 21d 21b 21j r 21g OKLAHOMA e ron v ar River i NEW MEXICO im R 21a 21j C s

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Navajo 21 G 21 26 25 Reservior

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Ecoregions denote areas of general similarity in ecosystems and in the type, quality, and land use, wildlife, and hydrology. The relative importance of each characteristic varies Interior–Geological Survey (USGS)–National Center for Earth Resources Observation PRINCIPAL AUTHORS: Shannen S. Chapman (Dynamac Corporation), Glenn E. Griffith (Dynamac Corporation), James M. quantity of environmental resources; they are designed to serve as a spatial framework from one ecological region to another, regardless of the hierarchical level. and Science (EROS). Omernik (USGS), Alan B. Price (NRCS), Jerry Freeouf (USFS), and Donald L. Schrupp (CO Department of Wildlife [CODOW]). for the research, assessment, management, and monitoring of ecosystems and The level III and IV ecoregion map was compiled at a scale of 1:250,000 and depicts The project is associated with an interagency effort to develop a common framework of COLLABORATORS AND CONTRIBUTORS: Tony Selle (USEPA), Shannon Albeke (CODOW), Sandy Bryce (Dynamac ecosystem components. These general-purpose regions are critical for structuring and revisions and subdivisions of earlier level III ecoregions that were originally compiled ecological regions. Reaching that objective requires recognition of the differences in Corporation), Ed Rumbold (BLM), Tom Weber (NRCS), Carol Dawson, (BLM), Eric Waller (CODOW), Christy Pickens implementing ecosystem management strategies across federal agencies, state agencies, at a smaller scale. This map is part of a collaborative project primarily between USEPA the conceptual approaches and mapping methodologies applied to develop the most (CDPHE), Brian Moran (Indus Corporation), John Hutchinson (Science Applications International Corporation), and Jack and nongovernment organizations that are responsible for different types of resources Region VIII, USEPA National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory common ecoregion-type frameworks, including those developed by the USFS, the Wittmann (USGS). within the same geographical areas. (Corvallis, Oregon), Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment USEPA, and the NRCS. As each of these frameworks is further refined, their REVIEWERS: Patrick Comer (NatureServe), Alisa Gallant (USGS), Tom Huber (University of Colorado, Colorado Springs), and The approach used to compile this map is based on the premise that ecological regions (CDPHE), Colorado Division of Wildlife (CDOW), United States Department of differences are becoming less discernible. Regional collaborative projects, such as this Ron West (CO State Parks). can be identified through the analysis of the spatial patterns and the composition of Agriculture–Forest Service (USFS), United States Department of Agriculture–Natural one in Colorado, where agreement has been reached among multiple resource CITING THIS MAP: Chapman, S.S., Griffith, G.E., Omernik, J.M., Price, A.B., Freeouf, J., and Schrupp, D.L., 2006, Ecoregions biotic and abiotic phenomena that affect or reflect differences in ecosystem quality and Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), United States Department of the management agencies, are a step toward attaining consensus and consistency in of Colorado (color poster with map, descriptive text, summary tables, and photographs): Reston, Virginia, U.S. Geological Survey integrity. These phenomena include geology, physiography, vegetation, climate, soils, Interior–Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and United States Department of the ecoregion frameworks for the entire nation. (map scale 1:1,200,000).