SER Workdays
A Colorado shrub/tree commonly used in river restoration (we used it to build a beaver dam analog)
What is willow
Species that arrive early in succession and modify the environment for later species
What are pioneer species
A keystone species that creates wetlands and is often considered during restoration projects
What is the beaver
Who is Aldo Leopold
Colorado's National Parks
What are Rocky Mountain National Park, Mesa Verde National Park, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, and Great Sand Dunes National Park
An agreement which allows private landowners to protect habitat while maintaining agricultural operations (we sometimes work on land under these agreements with Dr. Rick Night)
What is a conservation easement
The percentage of energy transferred from one trophic level to the next
A fish species native to the Poudre River which has suffered from decreased water quality
What is the trout
A tree species threatened by bark beetles and climate stress and often planted in high-elevation restoration areas
What is lodgepole pine
The Colorado agency that oversees state-level ecological restoration and wildlife management
What is Colorado Parks and Wildlife
This mammal species is common in Colorado, its primary habitat is shortgrass parries, it can run up to 60 mph, and it prefers crawling under fences rather than jumping over them (this is one of the many species that gets caught or snagged on the barbed wire fences that we convert into wildlife friendly fences with Dr. Rick Night)
What is pronghorn
A biome with extreme seasons, such as the North American Parries and the Russian Steppes
What is temperate grasslands
The Colorado State Bird
What is the Lark Bunting?
A riparian tree species used in restoration because it stabilizes banks and provides shade for aquatic ecosystems, many of these trees can be found along the Poudre River, however, their numbers are shrinking
What is cottonwood
Symbiotic associations between fungi and plant roots
What are mycorrhizae
A bright yellow wildflower often included in seed mixes for pollinator-friendly restoration (we have this flower in our pollinator garden on campus)
What is goldenrod
A process which occurs when nutrients accumulate in aquatic systems often leading to algal blooms and oxygen depletion
What is eutrophication
A small mammal that exclusively uses ponderosa pines as their home (double points for scientific name)
What is Albert's squirrel/Sciurus aberti
The remediation technique which uses plants to absorb toxins from the environment
What is phytoremediation
The Colorado State cactus
What is Claret Cup
A type of barrier that keeps keep cattle or other grazers out of sensitive riparian areas during restoration (We worked inside one of these barriers while doing riparian restoration in Rocky Mountain National Park)
What is exclusion fencing
A high elevation wetland type found in the San Juan range; it is nearly impossible to restore once damaged
What is a fen
What is the American pika
A type of grass commonly used in prairie and rangeland restoration because it tolerates drought and poor soil
What is bunchgrass (ie. blue grama or little bluestem)
A type of mimicry that occurs when a harmless species evolves to resemble a harmful one
What is batesian mimicry