MOUNTAIN ECOS 

WELCOME Weare unwinding from a busy field season.  You’ll be hearing from several of our partners in this newsletter.  Please take a moment to review their contributions.  Their generosity allows all of us to better understand what is happening around the park.  Without their help, what we do wouldn’t be possible.       

Please continue to pass on this information and knowledge to friends and family. 

In the true spirit of the holiday season, we extend to you our sincerest appreciation for the many contributions you have made toward our success.  Happy Holidays!

The Folks at Owl Mountain Partnership

A Note from Pete

By Pete Torma

With winter almost here I thought it would be a good time to look back at some of our accomplishments.  I think the greatest accomplishment is that Owl Mountain Partnership has been in existence since 1993.  Through tough times and good times, OMP has survived which I believe is a result of all those who believe in it.  Another significant accomplishment is the ability of Jerry Jack (Past Project Manager) and OMP board members to apply for and receive 415 thousand in Colorado Non Point source grant money to be used on Best Management Practices within the park.  This money plus matching dollars has allowed for over 768 thousand dollars to be applied to land health improvements projects.  These projects have included wells, sagebrush treatments, fences and coordinated resource management plans.  Recently, OMP has helped the BLM with fire related actives due to the increasing need for fire use within the park.  We are not directly involved in the fire activities.  We are just helping the BLM coordinate work with various contractors.   OMP has also continued to work with our partners (Partners for Wildlife, North Park HPP, BLM, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Rocky Mountain Mule Deer Foundation, Colorado State Land Board, USFWS, USFS, various land owners and others) on projects to meet the needs of improving land health.  Due to the monetary and in-kind support from these partners, OMP has been able to use limited dollars to accomplish a lot.  Thanks to all who support the work of OMP.

Archaeological Studies of North Park’s Prehistoric Past:

BLM, the University of Northern Colorado,

And the North Park Cultural Landscapes Research Project

By Robert Brunswig, Ph.D.

The University of Northern Colorado and the Bureau of Land Management (Kremmling Field Office) have partnered on a long-term archaeological research project in North Park, called the North Park Cultural Landscapes Project, since 2003. Over the past seven years, the university has documented numerous prehistoric game drive and camp sites in the central and northeastern parts of Jackson County. Native American occupations recorded by project researchers range from 10,800 years ago to the times of the last Native American inhabitants of the valley, some 140 years ago. UNC archaeologists, students, and volunteers from northern Colorado, including North Park, and two European countries, Sweden and Holland, have excavated several sites and are presently excavating a unique prehistoric ancestral Ute camp and game processing site dated between 750 and 600 years ago. That site has produced details of many successive visits for hunting and processing bison, antelope, deer, elk, and smaller animals. The earliest Ute pottery in Colorado from the site was chemically analyzed and found to contain evidence of domestic corn, rabbit, and fish.

Funding for the project since 2003 has come from BLM, the university, and the Colorado State Historic Fund. This fall, UNC and the BLM completed a five-year Assistance Agreement to continue archaeological and other related multidisciplinary (geology, plant studies, climate change) research programs as part of the North Park Cultural Landscapes Project.  The objective of the  Agreement is for the university to gather basic scientific data regarding the earliest inhabitants of North America through: cultural survey, site recordation and analysis; site testing, excavation, field and laboratory analysis; ethnographic studies with the Northern Utes; and to provide: avocational and student learning opportunities; to provide public involvement and participation; to foster opportunities for university students to learn the art and science of archaeology and earn undergraduate degrees; to provide post graduate students opportunities to complete advanced degrees; to involve other scientific disciplines in analysis and synthesis; to contribute to our understanding of North Park’s earliest Americans by participation and dissemination of information through anthropological conferences, book and monograph publications, newspapers and tourist/visitor publications; preparation of reports, and articles for professional journals and to highlight the historic resources of North Park Valley in Colorado’s Southern Rocky Mountains.

NRCS – Conservation Is Our Job!

By Debbie Heeney

NRCS is a federal agency (under the Department of Agriculture) that was set up to provide technical and financial assistance to private landowners and operators in the area of natural resources conservation.  NRCS has existed for over 70 years.  That’s right… we began in 1935 as the Soil Conservation Service back in the dust bowl days, when the forces of nature helped stress the importance of soil conservation to millions across the country.  Today, NRCS remains the nation’s leading agency in conserving natural resources on private lands.

Did you know… your Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) office is the place where you can get information about soil conditions and irrigation, range and wildlife management?  We can help you with surveying and designing irrigation water structures, ditches, ponds, springs, pipelines, parshall flumes, livestock water wells and stream bank stabilization structures.  We can also provide you with information on cross fencing, range and pasture seeding, stocking rates, weed control, brush control, riparian buffering, seedling tree establishment, critical area seeding and forest stand improvement on your property.  Need conservation plan to help you decide where to start?  We can help you with that as well.

Our expertise extends from rangeland to riparian areas to wildlife habitat to irrigation water management to soil erosion.  We can help you with almost any resource concern or conservation need you may have.

Visit your NRCS office if you need technical assistance, would like to sign up for a cost-share program would like to develop a ranch plan or would just like to chat about an issue or concern you have.  Give us a call @ 723-4724 or swing by the office on 100 Main (the Forest Service Building).   Together we can make a commitment to improving your ranching operation while also leaving a legacy of land stewardship behind for future North Park generations.

U.S. FOREST SERVICE UPDATE

By Mike Alpe

The Parks Ranger District Range program is currently conducting rangeland analysis on three allotments located on the southwest end of the Park Range.  Scoping for public comments should be out in late November or early December for this project.  A final decision on the environmental assessment is expected before the end of the 2010 fiscal year.  The District expects to begin a new rangeland analysis in 2010, which will cover 6 allotments on the north end of the Park Range and in the King’s Canyon area.  The Range program also expects to complete two rangeland improvement projects in 2010, unrelated to the rangeland analysis.  One of which is cooperatively planned with OMP.  About 30 acres of silver sage is scheduled to be mowed with a brush-beater to reduce sage cover and reinvigorate the herbaceous understory near Indian Creek on the south end of the Park. 

On a separate project, the District will be returning Ninegar Creek to its original streambed.  After being diverted to an irrigation ditch and then abandoned in the 1940s, a headcut started in the drainage just above the diversion point and the bare ditch bank has continued to be a site for Canada thistle and other weed infestations.  The intention of the realignment is to alter the stream back to its original flow, hopefully correct the headcut, and rehabilitate the ditch banks.  The Parks District and OMP continue to cooperate on a number of temporary electric fences intended to facilitate grazing management on several allotments.

The Recreation program is currently focused on several areas.  One is visitor safety at recreation sites and facilities that may be compromised from hazard trees resulting from bark beetle mortality.  There may be new closures on some motorized trails and some continuing closures at campsites that still need hazard trees removed. 

Another area requiring attention is the update to the Motor Vehicle Use Map (MVUM).  There continues to be places on the ground that are designated either open or closed to motorized vehicles, whichever the case may be, but aren’t reflected correctly on the MVUM.  A corrected version of the MVUM is expected this spring.  Corrections can possibly be expected on an annual basis. 

Still another project that is on the top of the Recreation list is working with partners to fix the crossing of the North Fork North Platte River at the Helena Trailhead.  A team is working to come up with alternatives, but a new crossing is not likely to be completed in 2010.  This will, however, allow some time to possibly work with OMP, and other partners, to secure grants to help implement a lasting solution to the crossing.

The Pine Bark Beetle epidemic has had a significant impact on the Timber program.  Most of the time and effort of both the permanent employees and the seasonal crew has been hazard tree removal along the most popular roads, campgrounds, and trailheads.  In addition to these areas, large areas like the Grizzly Timber Analysis Area are still being completed in a timely manner.  A National Incident Management Organization (NIMO) team has been assigned to the 3 Forests in Region 2 most affected by the Pine Bark Beetle epidemic.  The impacts of the NIMO team on the District staff are not clear at this point.  Funding priorities could either help or hurt our ability to accomplish projects district-wide. 

DOW to Boost New Moose Population on Flattops Using North Park Moose

By Jeff Yost, DOW Terrestrial Biologist

WADLEN, Colo. - In January, the Colorado Division of Wildlife plans to capture up to 20 moose in North Park to help get a new moose population established on the Flattops near Meeker. The moose will be captured from helicopters with net guns, flown to a staging area where they will be radio collared, ear tagged, and examined by state veterinary staff before they are transported in stock trailers to their new home on the White River.

These transplanted moose will join approximately 30 others already in the Flattops. Of the existing moose, 19 were brought in from Ogden, Utah last winter. The Uintah Mountains east of Ogden had a moose population that wildlife managers in that area wanted reduced. In addition to the newcomers, there were already about a dozen moose in the White River area's abundant willow habitat that had likely made their way over from existing populations in North Park and on the Grand Mesa. It is hoped that by supplementing the existing animals a herd of between 150 and 250 moose can be established along the White and upper Williams Fork drainages. In cooperation with the US Forest Service and private landowners, the moose from North Park will be released on both public and private land in the Marvine area.

Moose in the North Park herd are doing well since their original introduction in 1978. The town of Walden remains 'the moose viewing capital of Colorado' and the Division of Wildlife is working to maintain a healthy moose population in the area. The Division currently estimates the North Park herd at about 500 moose - right at the management objective for the population. Transplanting 20 moose from the North Park herd will not negatively impact the North Park moose population. In recent years the Division of Wildlife has reduced bull moose licenses in the Game Management Units that make up the North Park herd - GMUs 6, 16, 17, 161 and 171. The goal of the license reduction was to continue to maintain bull quality in the North Park herd so that it remains the premiere herd for sportsmen in Colorado.

Although moose had occasionally been seen in North Park, there was not an established resident population until March, 1978 when 12 moose from Utah's Uintah Mountains were released in the Big Bottoms area of the Upper Illinois River drainage southeast of Rand.  A second release occurred in January, 1979 with 12 moose captured near Moran Junction, Wyoming. The second group was released on the same site as the first 12. Since that time, the moose population has continued to expand its range into most of the suitable North Park moose habitat. Individual animals have moved into Middle Park to the south, the Laramie River Valley to the east, and the Yampa Valley to the west. Moose from North Park have also moved to the north where a strong population has been established and is hunted in Wyoming.

The Division of Wildlife capture effort in North Park will include public land and private land where landowners have agreed to allow access for this operation. Private land owners in the project area will be contacted about access by Division personnel in advance of the operation.

The Division recognizes that there are some people who don't want to see moose taken out of North Park. The Division is pleased that North Park residents have taken such warm 'ownership' of the area's moose population. We ask everyone to remember that North Park wouldn't have a thriving moose herd if it wasn't for people in other places agreeing to share those first moose back in 1978.

From a management perspective, the local moose population will quickly replace animals taken for the transplant and hunting license numbers will be adjusted as necessary in order to maintain a strong, healthy North Park herd. Of the 20 moose needed for the transplant, the goal will be to capture 15 cows and calves and five young bulls. No large bulls will be moved as they do not travel well and are difficult to handle.

Colorado's growing moose population already attracts thousands of visitors and hunters each year. The development of new moose populations in other parts of the state will benefit the entire state. More moose will draw even more moose-viewing visitors from other states - an opportunity for Walden to capitalize on as the 'moose viewing capital of Colorado'. Also, sportsmen will benefit from expanding opportunities to hunt moose in the state. The successful introduction of moose to western Colorado's Grand Mesa in 2005 resulted in the Division issuing the first two moose licenses in that area in 2009. In a few years, hunters will have the opportunity to apply for moose licenses on the Flattops too.

 If anyone wants further information about moose biology, the history of moose in Colorado or the transplant operation, please contact the local Division of Wildlife office in Meeker, Walden or Steamboat Springs.

North Park Conservation District – Update

By Jon Myers

The North Park Conservation District (NPCD) has been busy this summer working with local landowners implementing the “North Park Reforestation Grant”, a reimbursable grant sponsored by the Colorado State Conservation Board.  The grant was aimed at communities in North Park that have developed and worked on Community Wildfire Protection Plans.  Landowners in these areas were notified last spring about this opportunity and we had 10 successful applicants.  With the grant award, these applicants were able to purchase trees to begin the reforestation process on their lands that have been impacted by the Mountain Pine Beetle epidemic.  The Colorado State Conservation Board awarded the District funds that were then matched by the successful applicants to double the impact of this grant for on-the- ground conservation/reforestation work. Many different tree species were purchased with this grant, adding to the diversity of North Park’s re-emerging forest.  On behalf of the North Park Conservation District and the successful grant applicants, we would like to extend a huge thank you to the Colorado State Conservation Board for making this project available, and making it a success.

Other projects the NPCD has also been working on include a weed cost share program to help private landowners treat noxious weeds on their properties.  The District also worked with our local school district to sponsor a poster contest and host a conservation/environmental education day for 4^th and 5^th graders.  And, as usual, the district continues to offer seedling trees from the Colorado State Forest Service’s nursery, as well as wildflower and grass seed varieties.

Effective Utilization of Grazing in Indian Creek/BLM Pasture

By Chris VanValkenburg

In our Indian Creek/BLM pasture there was a unique situation on the approximately three sections of land between the BLM and the VanValkenburg private land.  A major climb in elevation to a ridge leading to the next valley to the east only had fresh water from Indian Creek on the west edge of the ridge.  The cattle would run out of feed and peel the river bottom and adjacent area and seldom use the feed to the east and up high.

With development this summer of the first springs and with the placement of salt on the east side, we have seen better utilization of the entire pasture with feed on the river bottom still left over.  The second spring was put in later in September and will show its effect next year.

The next phase of this project will be brush management.  Approximately 100 acres of brush will be beaten and will allow for more grazing pasture.

The effectiveness of building nearly a mile of fence on the first section of BLM still remains to be seen.  With the first snow yet to come, we will see how it does with the winter snows and the county’s normal placement of snow fences.  The BLM requested the fence to be installed for the grazing system.  I am waiting to see the benefits of  the fence.

With the cooperation of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Services, BLM and the Owl Mountain Partnership, this made cattle management on this pasture a true success to date.