Gunnison milkvetch, a rare plant endemic to the Gunnison Basin.
Conservation in Colorado
Why Protect Rare Plants Native to Colorado?
Colorado’s rare plants are irreplaceable parts of the state’s natural heritage. Native plant species help to make Colorado unique, but they are often overlooked ingredients of biodiversity. They provide habitat and food for wildlife, birds and insect pollinators, and are fundamental to the health of ecosystems. When native plants begin to disappear, the impacts are felt throughout natural systems. The biggest challenges for protecting Colorado's at-risk native plants come from habitat loss and break-up due to things like resource extraction, motorized recreation, housing and urban development, and roads.
117
Plant species in Colorado considered to be globally imperiled and vulnerable to extinction
68
Number of species of the 117 found only in Colorado, and nowhere else in the world
16
Plant species in Colorado currently listed as threatened or endangered under the Federal Endangered Species Act
Over 80%
Percentage of Colorado’s Designated Natural Areas that include at least one rare plant species
Protecting Rare Plants
Threatened Or Endangered Plant Species
There are 16 plant species in Colorado currently listed as threatened or endangered under the Federal Endangered Species Act, with several more species under review by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Colorado currently has no state statute protecting rare plants, and therefore no list of state-threatened and endangered plant species.
Our Work
Colorado Natural Areas Program
Within Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the Colorado Natural Areas Program (CNAP) is the only program within state government that has an emphasis on rare plant conservation. The program conducts focused surveys to discover new populations of rare plants, gathers quantitative data on trends in rare plant populations, and collects observational data on known rare plant element occurrences. Over 80% of Colorado’s Designated Natural Areas include at least one rare plant species, and more designations to protect rare species are being developed.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife collaborated in forming the Rare Plant Conservation Initiative, a collective effort among many stakeholders to create a unified statewide strategy for preserving the state's most endangered native plants and their habitats. The program also contributed to the development of the Rare Plant Addendum for the Colorado State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP).
Colorado Parks and Wildlife collaborated with the Colorado Natural Heritage Program (CNHP) and the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) to create suggested Best Management Practices for globally imperiled plants found along roadsides in Colorado. The program supports education about rare plants through funding for the Colorado Natural Heritage Program’s Rare Plant Guide.
Success Stories
As partners in conservation, Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the Colorado Natural Areas Program have helped to conserve Colorado’s best places well into the future. To date, more than 250 rare, threatened or endangered species and communities are monitored and cooperatively protected at 96 designated sites in Colorado.
Wacker Ranch
In 2007, the Colorado Natural Areas program collaborated with The Nature Conservancy to acquire Wacker Ranch near Montrose. Their goal was to safeguard a substantial portion of the world's largest and most viable population of the federally endangered clay-loving wild buckwheat (Eriogonum pelinophilum). This conservation effort marks a crucial step towards the recovery of this endangered species under the federal Endangered Species Act.
Conserving the Federally Threatened Parachute penstemon
For more than 25 years, the Colorado Natural Areas Program has collaborated with Oxy USA to preserve the federally threatened Parachute penstemon (Penstemon debilis). Through voluntary cooperative conservation agreements, the program continues its partnership with Oxy to safeguard the federally listed plant on private lands. This includes developing responsible energy resources using best management practices for rare plants.