Creating habitat for wetland species
in southwest Colorado
Introduction, including instructions for identifying
habitat size.
Tier 1 Species
Dabbling ducks
Black swift
Southwestern willow flycatcher
Western yellow-billed cuckoo
Beaver
New Mexico meadow jumping mouse
Boreal toad
Northern leopard frog
Bluehead sucker
Rio Grande Chub
Rio Grande Sucker
Tier 2 Species
Barrow’s goldeneye
Greater sandhill crane
Long-billed curlew
Northern harrier
Virginia warbler
White-faced ibis
Wilson’s phalarope
Western narrow-mouthed toad
Species of Greatest Information Need
American dipper
Clark’s grebe
Cliff swallow
Killdeer
Lewis’s woodpecker
Marsh wren
Western grebe
Wilson’s snipe
Black-necked garter snake
Canyon tree frog
Other species with scorecards and
formerly Species of Greatest Conservation Need
American bittern
Bald eagle
Short-eared owl
River otter
Grant opportunities through Colorado Parks and Wildlife
Land Conservancies in southwest Colorado
- La Plata Open Space Conservancy
- Montezuma Land Conservancy
- Southwest Land Alliance
Wetland mitigation
Videos of wetland restoration techniques
- Willow planting with water jet
- Thinking Like Water with Bill Zeedyk
- Erosion control: One rock dam
- Erosion control: Media luna
- Erosion control: Zuni bowl
- Erosion control: Rock rundown
Resources and useful links for landowners and land managers
- Animas Watershed Partnership
- Bird Conservancy of the Rockies
- Colorado Natural Heritage Program
- NEW! Colorado State Wildlife Action Plan (2025)
- Colorado Parks and Wildlife Wetland Program
- Natureserve (formerly Conservation Registry and Landscope)
- Ducks Unlimited
- Durango Bird Club
- EPA: Water topics
- EPA: Protecting watersheds
- Intermountain West Joint Venture
- Invasive Species Compendium
- Natural Resources Conservation Service
- RiversEdge West
- U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Partners for Fish and Wildlife
- Wetland Focus Areas throughout Colorado
Handbooks and Guidelines
- CNHP: Ecological Integrity Assessment for Colorado Wetlands: A Field Manual
- NRCS: Reference Guide for the Collection and Use of 10 Common Wetland Plants of the Great Basin and Intermountain West
- NRCS: Field Guide for the ID and Use of Common Riparian Woody Plants of the Intermountain West and Pacific Northwest Regions
- NRCS: Harvesting, Propagating and Planting Wetland Plants
NRCS: Plant Database - NRCS: Riparian Buffer Design Guidelines for Water Quality and Wildlife Habitat Functions on Ag Landscapes in the Intermountain West
- NRCS: Stream Restoration Design – National Engineering Handbook 654 Link to entire handbook
- NRCS: Stream Restoration Design – Rosgen Geomorphic Channel Design (Chapter 11, NEH 654)
- NRCS: Using Micro and Macrotopography in Wetland Restoration
- NRCS: Wetland Restoration Enhancement or Creation
- NRCS: Wetland Sod Mats
- USFS: Monitoring Vegetation in Riparian Areas
- USACE: Channel Restoration Design for Meandering Rivers
- USACE: Wetland Management Handbook