Laserfiche WebLink
Peatlands vary in regard to the quality of habitat they <br />provide for wildlife. Carpenter and Farmer (1981) found that the <br />affect of the peat extraction process on local wildlife is <br />partially dependant on the quality of the habitat. The <br />destruction of areas of poor habitat will have less of an effect <br />on the wildlife than would the destruction of a peatland of high <br />quality habitat. <br />The actual impact of peat extraction on the wildlife <br />resource in Colorado is presently unknown. Research in other <br />parts of the United States has suggested that, depending on the <br />particular peatland and the method used, these impacts can result <br />in the elimination of wildlife species from an area. For this <br />reason it is important that the fate of the resident and <br />migratory wildlife dependant upon the area be considered prior to <br />peat removal. <br />Aquatic organisms are likely to be affected by physical and <br />chemical changes in water quality, and changes in the timing and <br />duration of streamflow. For instance, sedimentation and erosion <br />are well known to affect the quality of spawning ground for fish. <br />Also, macroinvertebrate populations may be expected to increase <br />or decrease after excavation depending on the particular <br />situation. Populations of aquatic macroinvertebrates were noted <br />in both disturbed and undisturbed areas of two sites in the Park <br />County area. Generally, macroinvertebrate populations would be <br />expected to decline with the start of excavation activities, and <br />then recover to some extent following the completion of <br />52 0 <br />