Grand Valley Riparian Corridor

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

Grand Valley Riparian Corridor
Mesa County

Size: 3,852 acres

Elevation: 4500 feet

Habitats: Primary – lowland riparian, open water

Secondary – shore/bank, wetlands, semidesert shrubland, rural/agriculture, cliff/rock

Ownership: Federal, State, Municipal, Private

Land Use: Primary – nature and wildlife conservation, recreation/tourism, undeveloped

Secondary – hunting/fishing, agriculture/livestock, water supply, utility/right-of-way, suburban/residential, urban/commercial, research

IBA Criteria: 3, 4 (waterfowl, heronries, raptors, landbirds), 5

Site description

Location: The Grand Valley Riparian Corridor consists of several parcels along the Colorado River floodplain in the Grand Valley, bounded on the east by Debeque Canyon and on the west by Horsethief Canyon. Nearby cities include Palisade, Grand Junction, and Fruita.

The parcels within the IBA include:

Colorado River State Park (Island Acres Park, Corn Lake Park, Fruita Riverfront Park, Colorado River Wildlife Area, Connected Lakes Park);
State Wildlife Areas (Smith SWA, Walter Walker SWA, Horsethief SWA);
City of Grand Junction property (Las Colonias Park, Eagle Rim Park, Watson Island, Confluence Point, Riverside Park);
City of Fruita property (Kingsview Bottom);
Habitat acquisitions/easements (Grand Junction Wildlife Area, Orchard Mesa Wildlife Area, Debeque Wildlife Area);
Educational facilities (Botanical Gardens, Columbus Elementary Science Park, Palisade H.S. Outdoor Science Park);
Grand Valley Audubon Society property (Lucy Ferril Ela, Ela Annex 1.

Vegetative/natural features: The site contains much of Colorado’s best remaining Rio Grande Cottonwood (Populus wislizenii) habitat. Over the past century, human developments and invasive plant species have severely degraded this habitat.

Ornithological Importance

Lowland riparian habitat comprises less than 2% of the land area of Colorado, but provides nesting, wintering, and/or resting habitat for approximately 75% of the state’s bird species. Nearly 300 bird species have used this site over the last 15 years, which include nearly 70 breeding species and over 70 wintering species.

Breeding species:	Average #	Maximum #
Great Blue Heron	40-50 pairs	60 pairs
Wood Duck	40-50 pairs	60 pairs
Spotted Sandpiper	40-50 pairs	50 pairs
Cliff Swallow	500 pairs	500 pairs
Bank Swallow	400 pairs	400 pairs
Black-headed Grosbeak	200 pairs	200 pairs

Wintering species:	Average #	Maximum #
Mallard 5,000-6,000		9,000
Ring-neck Duck	300-400	600
Bald Eagle	10-15	20
Northern Harrier	15-20	25
Gambel’s Quail	200-300	350
Belted Kingfisher	15-20	20
Northern Flicker	180-200	250
Black-billed Magpie	400-500	600
White-crowned Sparrow	300-400	400

Research and educational activities: Grand Valley Audubon Society plans to build a nature center within this area to provide interpretive services.

Conservation/Management Issues

Serious threats:
1. invasive/non-native plants (Russian olive, tamarisk, Russian knapweed);
2. development (agricultural, residential, and industrial) impinging on the riparian zone.

Minor threats:
1. predators;
2. hydrologic changes.

Potential threats:
1. introduced animals (e.g., European starlings may be a cause of the 90+% reduction in the Lewis’s Woodpecker population over the last 40 years);
2. cowbird parasitism;
3. pollution;
4. disturbance to birds and habitat.

Efforts to address threats:
The corridor, under the direction of a Riverfront Commission, is developing into a major recreational and open space area. In the last decade, serious efforts to protect this riparian habitat have been initiated including the establishment of the Colorado River State Park, several state wildlife areas, and Grand Valley Audubon Society properties. Extensive habitat restoration projects are also planned.