RIPARIAN WETLANDS
Defining Wetlands:
Wet lands occur when snows melt and rains fall, but "wetlands" need three
specific conditions to earn their special status:
1. Water - 7-30 consecutive days
of continuous soaking by surface or ground water
2. Saturated Soils - the water fills in between soil particles,
creating anaerobic (no air) conditions within 6-18 inches
of the surface for 2-4 weeks during the growing season
3. Special Plants - for roots to grow without access
to soil oxygen requires special systems to pipe it there,
adaptations only hydrophytes (water-loving - wetland plants) have.
WETLANDS DIAGRAM
Perhaps, you have walked by water's edge, listened to its movement, watched
the wind ripple its surface, or felt its weight in the surrounding air.
Water draws us into its reflections, plays on our moods, and whispers of
possibilities. Drawn to its tranquility, few consider the uncommonness
of its presence in Colorado Springs.
Lest we forget, water in the west seldom lingers on the surface - especially
on the plains, where it seeps through sandy soils, arrives infrequently
as rainfall, less than 15" a year, and evaporates quickly into dry passing
breezes. In all of Colorado, open water covers less than 1% of the land.
Throughout the west, aridity marks and unifies the landscape. In these
parched surroundings, the presence of water attracts and sustains diverse
and abundant expressions of life. Where land and freshwater meet, along
the edges of creeks, lakes or ponds, soils become saturated or covered
by shallow water for part of the growing season.
In North America these "wetland" edges occupy only a small fraction
of the landscape. Known locally as "marshes", "wet meadows", "swamps",
and "bogs", their life-giving waters and unique vegetation host a remarkable
assortment of wildlife. One third of our nation's endangered species live
in wetlands. Sixty percent of Colorado's wildlife species reside in wetland
areas, another 30% depend on these areas at some time during the year.
Water and adjacent wetlands distinguish Fountain Creek Regional Park from
the dry surrounding plains. The waters that fill Fountain Creek cascade
down from Cheyenne Mountain, Pikes Peak, the Rampart Range, and Palmer
Divide. In the park's moisture-rich floodplain valley, plants and animals
gather in five distinct living communities.
RIPARIAN
WETLANDS .. FOUNTAIN CREEK.. EL
PASO WETLANDS