HABITAT RESTORATION

Habitat restoration projects are primarily located in or adjacent to roadless areas or at risk waterways. Collaboration among land management agencies, conservation groups, private landowners, and local, state and national officials facilitates involving volunteers and applying various restoration techniques.
Puma Hills 2024-2025
A view of the project area with Eleven Mile Reservoir in the distance. Photo John Sztukowski
User created tracks enter the Puma Hills Roadless Area. Photo John Sztukowski
Just north of Elevenmile Canyon Reservoir and State Park many illegal motorized routes enter the Puma Hills Roadless Area. Wild Connections will partner with the USFS' South Park Ranger District to close about two and a half miles of these illegal routes.
The Forest Service has prepped the area for our October 5th volunteer workday. Volunteers will seed and rake two large sections of illegal routes, stemming from adjacent BLM public lands. The FS will rewire the boundary fence and install signs to keep out illegal motorized use in the future.
Fire rings and trash in the illegal camps. Photo John Sztukowski
Farnum Peak 2015-2024
Closing off the illegal OHV trail reconnected the roadless areas. Map Wild Connections
Farnum and Schoolmarm Roadless Areas south of Lost Creek Wilderness provide important year-round wintering and calving habitat and migration routes for area wildlife. In 2015 an illegal 1.5-mile OHV track cutting through the middle of this critical wildlife corridor was closed on both east and west ends, reconnecting these wildlands for the benefit of area wildlife
Elk were seen more often after Packer Gulch tracks were restored. Photo Wild Connections
Protecting critical wildlife habitat continued in 2017 by closing three illegal motorized tracks leading from Packer Gulch into the Farnum Roadless Area.
Volunteers raked and seeded routes. Tarryall Reservoir, seen in the distance , has camping facilities. Photo Kristin Skoog
In 2022-2023 restoration focused on an illegal camping area in the north near Tarryall Reservoir. We funded the installation of post and cable at the entrance and the Forest Service ripped the routes. Volunteers and Forest Service staff raked and seeded these routes in the fall of 2023. Revegatation is looking great in the decommissioned route, and there are no more signs of illegal motorized use in the Farnum Roadless Area!
Wildcat Canyon 2018-ongoing
Hikers resting at the S. Plate River Corral Creek crossing. Photo Misi Ballard
South of Cheesman Reservoir, the South Platte River cuts a 1200-foot-deep canyon that provides habitat for wildlife and fish, quiet recreation and ultimately Denver’s primary water supply. After the 2002 Hayman fire, routes into the canyon were closed to all motorized use by the Forest Service. The 2022 Travel Management Plan clarified allowed uses on all routes and trails between Cheesman Reservoir and upstream to the beginning of the canyon near Happy Meadows campground.
Wild Connections is working with the South Platte and South Park Ranger Districts, Park County, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the South Platte Enhancement Board and interested stakeholders in a comprehensive habitat restoration plan over several years.
ATVers ignored the route closures to drive to the Corral Creek area of the South Platte. They gathered on the east side after crossing the river, Photo John Stansfield
The decommissioned routes that led to the S Platte at Corral Creek are of particular concern because ATVs and jeeps continue to breach the route barriers and play in the river.
Old post and cable, some buried in the willows, were removed at Corral Creek with funding that Wild Connections secured through the Park County Land and Water Trust Fund. Photo USFS
In 2022 about 250 posts and over 5000 linear feet of cable, as well as several dozen metal signs, in the riparian area were removed and stored on site for future use. Planning and on the ground work is anticipated in 2025 to obliterate these illegal routes and highlight the value of protecting this vital river corridor.
La Salle Pass
2020
Constructing the post and cable route closure. Photo Claude Neumann
Wild Connections, Platte Canyon Fire District, and S. Park Ranger District staff, placed 124 posts and cables at illegal motorized routes along La Salle Pass Road. The Forest Service ripped the hard-packed road beds behind the barriers and volunteers scattered native grasses seeds. These closures will help protect Golden Eagles, Bald Eagles and Peregrine falcons that take refuge in the area. Monitoring trips since this project have shown that all of the closures are still in place, revegetation taking hold, with no signs of illegal motorized use.
La Salle Pass work crew. Photo Kristin Skoog
Rock Creek 2018-ongoing
The Forest Service and Colorado Trout Unlimited will release Greenback Cutthroat Trout into Rock Creek. Photo John Stansfield
Rock Creek at the Colorado Trail/Ben Tyler trailhead into Lost Creek Wilderness was damaged by decades of motorized use and camping. The relocated trailhead and 2 miles of closed road segments made way for the future reintroduction of Greenback Cutthroat Trout.
Seeding the old route beyond the new trailhead. Photo Jim Lockhart
Beaver Creek Fairplay 2019-2020
Volunteers secured the boardwalk decking. Photo Barry Ballard
The water supply for Fairplay was flooded by beavers, inundating a trail into the forest. A new ADA compliant boardwalk and steps up to the forest trail were completed in cooperation with other partners and the beaver ponds are intact.
View from the forest trail across the boardwalk in the beaver marsh. Photo Misi Ballard
Sheep Creek
2019
Straw mulch was carried up to the restoration site. Photo Misi Ballard
Sheep Creek road obliteration restored peace and quiet for wildlife to the headwaters of Sheep Creek and the Weston Peak Roadless Area. A strenuous hike with heavy packs took volunteers over Breakneck Pass to the site where they seeded and mulched the closed route.
Moose were early morning visitors near the crews camp area. Photo Misi Ballard
Selkirk Gulch-North Tarryall 2016-2018
Spreading mulch made from beetle killed trees to reduce erosion. Photo Barry Ballard
The headwaters of North Tarryall Creek rise in the Hoosier Ridge roadless area and flow through the Selkirk valley supporting year-round habitats for area wildlife. Closing 2.1 miles of illegal track in the Red Mountain area protects the wetlands and tundra of Hoosier Ridge.
Completed Red Mountain trail. Photo Barry Ballard
Green Mountain 2011
Some of the deep ruts from ATVs were left as elk wallows. The meadow recovered quickly after the restoration work. Photo John Stansfield
Undisturbed wildlife habitat was reconnected across more than 14,000 acres of forested land between Lost Creek Wilderness and the South Platte River corridor. A 5-acre wet meadow damaged from illegal ATV use was restored to lush grasses and seasonal ponds. The 3.5 miles of decommissioned and illegal routes were seeded, covered with slash, and the only access now is by foot on game trails.
Volunteers coveering the seeded trail with erosion matt and brush. Photo Jean Smith
Geneva Creek
2013
Camps and vehicles caused erosion into Geneva Creek. Photo John Chapman
Denuded dispersed campsites along Geneva Creek west of Mt. Evans Wilderness were scarified and native grass seeds were planted. Felled trees and strategically placed boulders protect the streamside and meadows on the boundary of Burning Bear Roadless Area.
Volunteers planted native seeds. Photo Wild Connections
trout and Eagle Creeks 2009-2010
Erosion structures were placed in side drainages. Photo Jim Lockhart
Trout and Eagle Creeks flow into the South Platte River near Deckers. Three roadless areas were reconnected by obliterating 7.8 miles of motorized tracks. Major erosion into the streams from an abandoned gravel pit, illegal motorized use and areas burned in the Hayman Fire was significantly reduced. Volunteers built nearly 175 erosion structures and raked, seeded and mulched more than 8 acres on the trail bed and gravel pit. Now beavers have returned to Trout Creek.
Beavers have returned to Trout Creek. Photo Jean Smith
Wild Connections is a science-based conservation organization that works to identify, protect and restore lands of the Upper Arkansas and South Platte watersheds to ensure the survival of native species and ecological richness. We acknowledge that the Arkansas and South Platte watersheds are the ancestral lands of the Ute, Cheyenne, Jicarilla Apache, Arapaho and other indigenous peoples.
Salida - Program office info@wildconnections.org john@wildconnetions.org 817-939-4239 Colorado Springs - Development office india@wildconnections.org 719-660-5311 Admin office 2168 Pheasant Pl. Colorado Springs CO 80909 jean@wildconnections.org