Unaweep Seep Natural Area

Background | Criteria | Northwest Colorado | Northeast Colorado
Southwest Colorado | Southeast Colorado

Unaweep Seep Natural Area
Mesa County

Size: 80 acres

Elevation: 5720 - 6160 feet

Habitats: Lowland riparian, wetlands, mountain shrubland, pinyon/juniper, open water, sagebrush shrubland

Ownership: Federal (Bureau of Land Management)

Land Use: Primary – nature and wildlife conservation

Secondary – hunting/fishing, recreation/tourism, livestock, water supply, utility/right-of-way, research

IBA Criteria: 3, 4 (landbirds)

Site description

Location: Unaweep Seep Natural Area is found 8 miles northeast of the town of Gateway, in west-central Colorado.

Vegetative/natural features: The site is located in the bottom of Unaweep Canyon and contains 24 hillside streams which create a mosaic of wet meadows, hummocks, marsh, willow and wild rose/skunkbrush thickets, cottonwood and boxelder stands. The hillside seeps support a rare assembly of plants, including Indian grass, switchgrass, panic manna grass, Joe-pye weed and giant helleborine orchid.

Ornithological Importance

A 1983-84 survey on the BLM in west-central Colorado found this site to be the richest landbird site in the 24 vegetation types sampled across 1.3 million acres of public land. The survey showed a density of 838 birds or territories per 100 hectares.

Breeding species:	Average #	Maximum #
Cooper’s Hawk	1 pair	4
Black-chinned Hummingbird	5 pairs	20
Western Wood-Pewee	4 pairs	16
Warbling Vireo	20 pairs	70
Plumbeous Vireo	5 pairs	17
American Dipper	1 pair	8
Yellow Warbler	40 pairs	200
Yellow-breasted Chat	10 pairs	50
Black-headed Grosbeak	3 pairs	12
Lazuli Bunting	20 pairs	80
Lesser Goldfinch	8 pairs	50
American Goldfinch	2 pairs	12

Migrant species:	Average #	Maximum #
Southwestern Willow Flycatcher	1	3

Wintering species:	Average #	Maximum #
Bald Eagle	2	2

Conservation/Management Issues

Minor threats:
1. invasive/non-native plants (e.g., common burdock);
2. cowbird parasitism;
3. pollution from pastures upstream.

Potential threats:
1. disturbance to birds from increasing recreation visits.

Management details:
The site is a state natural area and a Bureau of Land Management Research Natural Area. Most of the site is within the BLM’s "The Palisade Wilderness Study Area." Land managers use livestock grazing and prescribed fire to help maintain the site’s rare communities.