FOUNTAIN CREEK

Until recently, wetlands have conjured images of dangerous, foreboding places with little economic or inherent value. As a result of this attitude, wide-spread conversion of these unique places to "more useful" purposes has occurred. Over 100 million acres of swamps, bogs, marshes, wet meadows and riparian edges in the United States have yielded to bulldozers, hard surfacing and drainage systems, effectively converting them to miles of highways, acres of farm fields and sites for shopping malls, housing developments, and parking places. More than half this nation's original wetlands no longer exist.

Most of Colorado's wetlands occur along creeks and tributary flows. Existing shelter, plentiful wildlife and water attracted human settlement to these same places. In less than 100 years, 50% of Colorado's wetlands have vanished. Only recently have we recognized the ecological values and biological productivity of these diverse systems. Twelve million ducks breed and nest annually in North American wetlands. At least a third of this country's threatened or endangered species live in or depend on wetland habitats. In Colorado, 60% of our wildlife species reside in wetland areas, another 30% depend on these places at some time during the year for food, shelter, breeding space, open water and migratory movements.

As a human resource, wetlands purify domestic water sources by filtering out sediments, pollutants, pesticides, and heavy metals. Healthy wetlands buffer storms by slowing flood waters and stabilizing stream banks. They also concentrate and return water to underground aquifers. These subsurface storage systems supply agricultural interests and residential communities with water for irrigation and domestic use. Areas around wetlands offer recreational opportunities for photography, hiking, fishing, nature observation and environmental education.

The El Paso County Park Department has protected 325 acres of this dwindling resource for recreational, educational and conservation purposes in Fountain Creek Regional Park. Three miles of creek with bordering edges of cottonwoods and willows, adjacent meadows, marshes and ponds support five distinct biological communities in the park. Diverse wildlife populations, including Great Blue Herons, share these resources with park visitors.