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extraction on those species. The majority of this information <br />comes from research on northern peatlands funded by the Minnesota <br />Department of Natural Resources (MDNR 1981). The findings of <br />that research, and research from other areas of the country, may <br />or may not be entirely applicable to peatlands on the Colorado <br />landscape. However, in the absence of research specifically <br />directed at the faunal dynamics of Colorado peatlands these <br />studies can provide valuable insight. <br />Hallock et al (1986) found that sub - alpine peatlands <br />dominated by willows (willow carrs) were much more heavily used <br />by breeding birds relative to the surrounding upland habitats. <br />That study reported an average of 286 nesting pairs per 100 acres <br />of sub - alpine willow Carr, as compared to an average of 112 pairs <br />per acre of sub - alpine forest. Minnesota peatlands were also <br />found to be very important to a number of avian species <br />(waterfowl and terrestrial birds) in at least two ways: 1) as a <br />source of food needed at critical times of the year; and, 2) as <br />habitat for rare or threatened species which may be dependant on <br />the peatland habitat (Warner and Wells 1980). Braun et al. <br />(1976) reported that, in Colorado, white - tailed ptarmigan are <br />dependent in the winter upon willow- dominated peatlands as a food <br />source. Additional species known to utilize or depend upon the <br />peatland habitat in Minnesota include moose (Alces alces), fisher <br />(Martes pennanti), beaver (Castor canadensis), numerous small <br />mammals (shrews, moles, mice, voles, squirrels, and chipmunks), <br />50 <br />