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. . Foreword Purpose of the Text The subject of this book is the wetland ecology of the Colorado Plateau, and its purpose is to present a synthesis of the natural history and ecology of riparian, lacustrine and palustrine habitats of the Colorado River and its tributaries on the Plateau. This is one of a series of texts on riparian and wetland ecology produced by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and is a companion to the scholarly efforts of Windell et al. (1986) on Rocky Mountain wetlands, Johnson and Haight (in press) on the riparian habitats of the southwestern deserts, and Ohm art and Anderson (in press) on the ecology of the lower Colorado River. The Colorado River is consumed many times over on its now- interrupted course from the Rocky Mountains to the Gulf of California, and it is regulated and diverted at many sites (Fradkin 1984; Reisner 1987). Because most of the upper basin is managed by federal and state agencies, responsibility for maintaining the region's environmental, biological, and economic prosperity falls squarely on the shoulders of overburdened resource managers. Impoundment, transbasin diversions, water pollution, endangered species, over-allocation, an unpredictable climate, and the terrifyingly complex "law of the river" create resource management nightmares at every eddy and confluence. Set against this formidable political backdrop is a real, dynamic and, in part, free-flowing river that supports a phenomenal diversity of life. From the lowliest baetid mayfly to the bulliest bighorn ram, the life of the river is elegantly well- adapted to the rigors of its harsh, sublime reaches. Wretchedly sediment-laden, and awesome in flood, the Colorado River and the dissected terrain it has laid bare, is a source of inspiration for all who come to see it. Hopefully, this text exposes some small fragment of that complexity and challenges its readers to begin to grasp the scale on which this ecosystem functions. Organization of the Text This text is comprised of three environmental chapters on geology, climate, and hydrology, followed by discussions of individual tributary basins, and concludes with chapters on contemporary issues in wetland ecology, impoundment, and species of importance. The tributary description chapters address wetland habitats and species, descending from mountain tops to the desert floodplains, and discussing aquatic and terrestrial systems in . . . . . . . . v .