San Miguel Area of Critical Concern

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

San Miguel Area of Critical
Environmental Concern
Montrose and San Miguel Counties

Size: 30,000 acres

Elevation: 5800 - 8780 feet

Habitats: Primary – high elevation riparian, lowland riparian

Secondary – cliff/rock, grassland, mixed conifer, mountain shrubland, open water, pinyon/juniper, ponderosa pine, spruce/fir, wetlands

Ownership: Federal (Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service)

Land Use: Primary – nature and wildlife conservation, hunting/fishing, recreation/tourism, water supply, research, undeveloped

Secondary – agriculture/livestock, utility/right-of-way

IBA Criterion: 3

Site description

Location: The San Miguel Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) includes 25 of the 30 miles along the San Miguel River between Placerville and Pinyon, 15 miles along Beaver Creek, and 6 miles along Saltado Creek.

Vegetative/natural features: The site consists primarily of high elevation and lowland riparian habitat, but also includes nearly all the terrain between the canyon rims and scattered portions of the mesa tops.

Ornithological Importance

This site represents the finest protected Southwest Canyon Riparian Habitat (SWCR) in the United States, with the exception of Arizona’s San Pedro. SWCR, which is recognized as the richest terrestrial bird habitat type in North America, provides breeding sites for a wide variety of species and primary migratory routes for nearly all of the West’s songbirds. More than 300 bird species have been observed at the site. The expanding Black Phoebe population, which has been moving up the San Miguel River, reached the lower end of the ACEC in 1999 (a nest was found at the river bridge at Pinyon).

Conservation/Management Issues

Minor threats:
1. invasive/non-native plants;
2. introduced animals;
3. disturbance to birds and habitat.

Management details:
The site is managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The site was expanded by 40% within the last several years, with the purchase of a private parcel by the BLM.