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. Bruce Morgan says the extra work and planning involved in developing wildlife habitat areas is well worth it when his family has a quiet moment watching a flock of geese gliding into the new wetlands WETLANDS continued from page 16 As part of the program, fanners are given priority points for develop- Ing wildlife habitat to mitigate the loss of such areas due to the instal- lation of underground pipe for ex- ample, In addition, the development of these areas can be cost-shared for the fanner (70-30 percent), "In Montrose County, 90 percent of the fanners participating In the Salinity Program have some type of wildlife mitigation as part of their project." says Woodis. "Landowners acceptance has really been outstandlng...there's a sincere effort on the fanner's part to develop or enhance these types of areas." "One of our maln goals is to make existing areas better than they were before." he adds. Where existing wild- life habitat may have consisted of a narrow corridor of willows along a ditch bank (which presents an easy target for predators such as coy- otes), blocks of Wildlife habitat can provide greater cover and protection for nesting birds and other animals. A prime example of these "blocks of wildlife habitat" is on Bruce Morgan's 75 acre fann north of Montrose. In addition to ralsing alfalfa. Morgan Is In his third year of planning and developing this type of ecosystem With help from the Soil Conservation Service. A tour of his farm reveals a unique and 'highly diversified environment designed to attract a variety of wild- life. . A planting of native Wild plum trees near the Morgans' home acts as a natural buffer and habitat area between the alfalfa fields and house, . Two large man-made ponds. fed by taJlwater from irrigation. support a variety of aquatic life and water- fowl including minnows, salaman" ders.leopard frogs, crawdads, ducks, geese, blackbirds, sandpipers and killdeer. According to Woodis, trans- planting vegetation such as "buJIrush" from other sites on the Morgan fann has been an inexpen- sive way to create new Wildlife habi- tat and help stabilize the shore line around the ponds. He also notes that In planning these areas they strive to create visual barriers, like islands, which Increase the canylng capacity of the pond while attracting a greater diversity of wildlife. . Several sections of "upland" habitat, Consisting of tall wheat, switch grass and alfalfa, provide a dense cover for nesting birds. . A "Food Plot" consisting of a narrow strip of com planted along an alfalfa field provides an excellent winter food supply for game and non-game birds. Both "Quails UnLimited" and "Pheasants Forever" donate seed com for such projects. . Morgan has also blasted four potholes on his property for addi- tional wildlife habitat. Two of the potholes were part of his original salinity project while the latest two were designed as part of the Division ofWlIdlife.s Enhancement Program, which according to Woodis, supplies additional funds for wildlife habitat development from revenue gener- ated by hunting and fishing licenses. Like the larger ponds on the Morgan fann, these potholes are also fed by taJlwater from irrigation and over time, organic layers build up creating a good food source for wa- terfowl. Woodis stresses. however. that in alkali-laden soils especially, it Is important to keep a good flow of water going in and out of the pot- holes to prevent them from becom- Ing evaporative pools. Both the ponds and potholes pro- vide a natural pattern of wildlife us- age particularly when designed In conjunction with a neighbor's Wildlife habitat. They also act as water puri- fication systems, ffitering outlmpuri- ties and sediment which accumulate In low-lying areas, adds Woodis. Morgan and Woodis both agree that it takes several years and a lot of experimentation to develop these types of areas. "The first year, I planted a mix- ture of milo as part of my upland habitat, but I found that it didn't do well-It smothered the other grasses so we had to start over with different vegetation like buffalo berry: com- ments Morgan. But as Morgan points out, while there is no doubt some extra work and planning Involved In developing wildlife habitat areas, he and his family are finding the benefits are well worth the effort-particularly when they can watch a flock of geese descending on one of their ponds or a palrofmallard ducks quietly swim- ming across the water. 0 -Elaine Jones is a freelance writer at Montrose. 18 I Colorado Rancher & Farmer. November 1993