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Barr
Lake State Park
Adams County
Size: 2,600 acres
Elevation: 5200 feet
Habitats: Primary – open water
Secondary – grassland, shore/bank
Ownership: State (CO State Parks)
Private (Farmers Reservoir &
Irrigation Company,
Henrylyn Irrigation District)
Land Use: Primary – water supply
Secondary – nature and wildlife
conservation, hunting/fishing, recreation/tourism
IBA Criteria: 1, 4 (waterfowl, heronries),
5
Site description
Location: Barr Lake
State Park is located 22 miles north of the city of Denver, bordered on
the west by Interstate 76 and on the east by Piccadilly Road.
Vegetative/natural features: The 1,900-acre
Barr Lake is bordered by a thin ring of mostly cottonwood trees and marshes.
Grasslands constitute the majority of the site’s remaining 700 acres.
Historical features: Located in the northwest
corner of the site is a Swiss-style stone building, built in 1889, which
was recently placed on the State Historic Register.
Ornithological Importance
The park’s bird checklist currently totals 346 species.
The site contains a large heronry, and is a major stopover site for numerous
species during migration.
| Breeding species: |
Average # |
Maximum # |
| Great Blue Heron |
20 pairs |
30 pairs |
| Black-crowned Night Heron |
40 pairs |
50 pairs |
| Bald eagle |
1 pair |
1 pair |
| Bullock’s Oriole |
~60 pairs |
~60 pairs |
| Western Wood Pewee |
~30 pairs |
~30 pairs |
| Yellow Warbler |
~40 pairs |
~40 pairs |
| Migrant species: |
Average # |
Maximum # |
| Mallard |
|
25,000 (fall) |
| Swainson’s Hawk |
300 (fall) |
800 (fall) |
| Sandhill Crane |
4,000 (fall) |
4,300 (fall) |
| Franklin’s Gull |
1,000’s (fall) |
|
| Wilson’s Warbler |
1,000’s (fall) |
|
| Wintering species: |
Average # |
Maximum # |
| Bald Eagle |
7-10 |
12 |
Research and educational activities:
Ornithologists have studied Barr Lake since prior to 1900. Colorado Bird
Observatory (CBO) has operated a fall bird banding station at this site
since 1989. Seasonal bird banding totals average 2,200 individuals of
65 species. CBO runs the banding program primarily as an educational effort
to expose school children to concepts of bird biology and conservation.
The state park operates a nature center that provides educational materials
and displays on the park’s fauna and flora.
Conservation/Management Issues
Minor threats:
1. pollution;
2. disturbance to migrating and over-wintering
waterfowl from fishing and recreational motorboat use;
3. hydrologic changes.
Efforts to address threats:
The southern half of the lake is a designated
wildlife sanctuary, where neither fishing nor motorboat use is allowed.
In addition, regulations permit only boats of 10 or lower horsepower anywhere
on the lake. The threat of hydrologic change is lessened by the fact that,
as a result of irrigation practices, water levels do not go low enough
to affect waterfowl.
Management details:
Farmers Reservoir & Irrigation Company owns
and operates Barr Lake, while Henrylyn Irrigation District owns and operates
the Denver-Hudson Canal that runs along the eastern edge of the lake.
Barr Lake State Park holds perpetual easements with both companies. The
site is a Colorado Watchable Wildlife site.
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