The Watershed Planning Toolbox is a comprehensive resource for incorporating wetlands and streams into watershed planning, restoring wetlands to improve watershed health, and identifying opportunities for wetland conservation. Many Toolbox data layers have statewide coverage, while some more detailed layers for wetland functions and priority conservation and restoration are building out from the Arkansas and South Platte Headwaters Project Area. The Toolbox includes an interactive mapping platform that allows users to view wetlands, streams, likely aquatic ecosystem functions, ecological stressors, and high-priority sites for conservation and restoration at the landscape scale. Along with geospatial data, the Toolbox includes a gateway to a variety of other restoration and conservation resources via the Working in Wetlands web pages.
Wetlands are known for the many ecological functions they perform. To depict hotspots in the landscape where wetlands provide beneficial services, we developed models for likely wildlife habitat, water quality, and water quantity functions at the landscape scale. These models were informed by a literature review that included peer-reviewed articles and gray literature, as well as fundamental processes in wetlands and waterbodies (e.g., surface water storage in ponds and lakes). We then crosswalked mappable attributes from our literature review to factors like wetland vegetation type, hydrologic regime, landscape position, landform, and predominant water flowpath.
Summaries for each geospatial data set that appears in the mapper are included below, along with supporting data layers. An overview of the wetland functions mapped in the Watershed Planning Toolbox can be found here.
Wetland functions at the watershed scale depend on many factors, including landscape position, wetland type and hydrology, land use, and underlying geology. CNHP has expanded the National Wetland Inventory dataset to include Landscape, Landform, Water Flow Path, and Waterbody (LLWW) attributes, along with a variety of descriptors for unique wetland types (e.g., fens and kettle ponds), as well as hydrologic and land use modifiers. These additional attributes provide a more comprehensive view of the diversity of Colorado wetland types, and a foundation for assessing and modeling wetland functions at the watershed scale. Wetland types are grouped by wetland hydroperiod (corresponding with Cowardin hydrologic regimes), vegetation classes, hydrogeomorphic class, and dominant water flow path. Additional layers include potential historic wetland areas for parts of the state, along with formerly irrigated lands, waterbody permanence, and statewide percent hydric soils by soil map unit.
Wetlands are located at the interface between terrestrial and aquatic environments, and are often hotspots for a diverse array of terrestrial and aquatic wildlife and plants, including rare species. CNHP modeled rare wetland species support and overall biodiversity conservation, along with likely habitat for aquatic invertebrates, shorebirds, and waterfowl using wetland attributes including hydroperiod, vegetation, and land use. Additional CNHP suitable habitat models for boreal toad, northern leopard frog, New Mexico jumping mouse, Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo, and Southwestern Willow Flycatcher are included as supporting data layers. Geospatial data layers from outside groups and agencies include Gold Medal fish streams, barriers to fish passage, Important Bird Areas, Bird Habitat Conservation Areas, and priority watersheds for CPW Tier 1 fish species.
Wetlands perform a variety of water quality functions at the watershed scale, including removing and storing nutrients, metals, and carbon, along with regulating the temperature of surface water. Likely wetland water quality functions were modeled using a literature review of how different types of wetlands perform water quality functions, including associations between functions and wetland hydrogeomorphic attributes like landscape position, landform, and dominant water flow paths. Supporting geospatial data layers include potential sources of pollutants, such as mines and oil and gas well, as well as state-listed Outstanding Waters, 303(d) water quality impaired waters, and Watershed Plans related to addressing nonpoint source pollution.
Many wetlands support clean water along with providing flood attenuation, stream flow maintenance during dry periods, surface water storage, groundwater recharge, sediment capture and retention, and streambank and shoreline stabilization. Floodplain, or riparian wetlands including beaver pond and meadow complexes may provide all of these functions. CNHP modeled likely water quantity and geomorphic functions by reviewing literature on how wetlands intercept, store, and release water and sediment in the landscape, and crosswalking these processes to wetland landscape positions, landforms, dominant water flow types, and vegetation. Supporting geospatial data layers include statewide floodplains, alluvial aquifers, decreed instream flows and lake levels, historic fire perimeters, irrigated lands, surface water diversions, and groundwater wells.
CNHP has worked with the Arkansas Headwaters Wetland Focus Area Committee to develop wetland conservation and prioritization areas, many of which overlap with CNHP’s wetland-based Potential Conservation Areas. Prioritized areas are intended to help identify large wetland areas that have been degraded or converted to upland, where conservation or restoration activities would provide substantial benefits for adjacent natural areas, along with improving ecological functions like wildlife habitat and downstream water quality, and where restoration activities may be most technically feasible. Additional large-scale prioritization areas (and associated geospatial data layers) include the Upper South Platte subbasin/South Park and playas on the Great Plains. We hope to add additional layers in the future, as conservation groups identify focus areas for wetland conservation and restoration.
