PUB00093

• Year: 2004
• Title: State of Colorado's Watersheds Report
• CWCB Section: Administration
• Author: Colorado Watershed Assembly
• Description: An Annual Report
• Publications - Doc Type: Other

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Project Overview
The purpose of this project is to
conduct a science-based inventory of
the physical habitat of the Roaring
Fork River and its major tributaries
to establish baseline conditions for
monitoring. and to effectively prioritize
conservation efTorts and resources. In
the Roaring Fork watershed. currently
there is neither a comprehensive
inventory of degraded areas nOT of
healthy habitats, A large p0l1ion of the
watershed has undergone significant
alteration from various fanns of human
development and activities.

Goals and Objectives
Protection and restoration of
the physical habitat of the Roaring
Fork River and its major tributaries
is the uhimatc goal of this project.
\Ve seek to accomplish this goal by
first identifying and categorizing the
characteristics of stream and riparian
physical habitat on the Roaring Fork
and its major tributaries. Stream
reaches will be categorized according
to habitat quality. analyzed as to
the reason for degradation. and
mapped and referenced in a catalog
with descriptions of stream habitat
and management recommendations
for restoration or protection. This
baseline infonnation will then be
used to prioritize stream segments
to begin a program of protection and
restoration.

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Stream Health Initiative:
Physical Habitat Assessment for the
Roaring Fork Watershed

Ecosystem Management
Many of the degraded stream
segments arc amenable to adoption and
restoration by community watershed
groups. Other areas may only require
altered management prescriptions.
Pristine areas require management that
ensures protection.

Accomplishments
The Roaring Fork Stream Health
Initiative. under the sponsorship of
Colorado Big Country Resource
Conservation and Development
(RC&D), has successfully established
partnerships with several organizations.
including The Nature Conservancy,
Colorado River \Vater Conservation
District. and the Roaring Fork
Conservancy. as well as with some of
the local govemmental jurisdictions in
the watershed.
A draft physical habitat analysis
catalog of the main stem Roaring
Fork River from Independence Pass
to \Vink-Jaffe is being prepared. This
catalog describes reference reaches of
the streams. identifies reaches with
potential or apparent problems. and
recommends areas that are healthy
for conservation. An example of
accomplishing our final goal has
already occulTcd with the Independence
Pass Foundation, which has adopted an
idcntified "rehabilitation reach" along

Protection and
restoration of the
physical habitat
of the Roaring Fork
River and its tributaries
is the ultimate goal of
this project

the Roaring Fork River near Weller
Campground for restoration in the fall
of 2004,
Staff is currently contacting
landowners for pennission to conduct
the study on additional properties,
carrying out public outreach and
education, and working with four
counties (Pitkin, Eagle, Garfield, and
Gunnison) to compile complete GIS
infonnation for maps and landowner
information. Collecting data on
stream and riparian health is ongoing
throughout the summer field season.

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Roaring Fork Watershed Project
activities