Restoration in Action
The Kawuneeche Valley extends from the high mountain passes of Rocky Mountain National Park to where the Colorado River meets Shadow Mountain Reservoir below the Town of Grand Lake, Colorado. In the past, the Kawuneeche Valley consisted of dense stands of tall willows that supported beaver habitat and biodiverse wetlands. At one time, the wetlands were eight miles long and half a mile wide, and the ecosystem played a vital role in Colorado’s water story.
Today, after a long history of diverse land uses, the Kawuneeche Valley struggles to provide and sustain several ecological functions, including flood control, drought mitigation, environmental resilience, and recreational opportunities. Restoration and adaptive management will protect the Valley, the communities and livelihoods that rely on it, and its wildlife.
Accomplishing Restoration Together
In 2020, several entities joined forces to restore the Kawuneeche Valley, becoming the Kawuneeche Valley Restoration Collaborative (KVRC).
KVRC is focused on long-term planning to strengthen the Valley’s resilience by bringing together experts who are deeply knowledgeable about and invested in the health of the Kawuneeche Valley’s environment. KVRC includes representatives from:
Grand County
National Park Service
The Nature Conservancy
Northern Water
Rocky Mountain Conservancy
Town of Grand Lake
United States Forest Service
Restoring the Valley
Riparian ecosystems, like the Kawuneeche Valley, provide important ecological, social and economic benefits, including water quality, flood and erosion control, wildlife habitat, and places for people to enjoy nature.
Following decades of overgrazing by wildlife, neglected irrigation systems, the absence of critical wildlife species, and other human activities, the Valley’s natural systems are severely disrupted and unable to provide the full range of benefits to people and nature. These benefits are particularly crucial as Colorado faces increased risk of fires and floods.
Today, stands of willow are too small or entirely absent and the river has carved unnatural channels that alter its natural flow. During seasons when the Valley floor should be wet, it is dry. These changes ripple through the ecosystem, impacting wildlife, water quality, river flows, and recreational opportunities.
KVRC aims to restore the Kawuneeche Valley’s natural systems, benefitting people and wildlife. The river will become cleaner, the valley floor will retain more moisture, and native wildlife species will thrive, leading to improved fishing and wildlife viewing! Restoration takes time, but its critical benefits make it worth the effort.
Restoration Plans
KVRC will support natural systems, improve wildlife habitat, and enhance recreational opportunities in the Kawuneeche Valley by:
Removing non-native plants to give willows enough room to grow
Planting new willows and other native plants to restore the ecosystem
Installing simulated beaver structures to raise the streambed level and water table
Milestones
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In March 2020, KVRC’s seven member organizations created the Collaborative. Soon after, they began earning grants to fund their work and partnered with Colorado State University to determine the Valley’s condition.
Learn more about the grants that fund our work here.
If you’re interested in contributing to KVRC’s restoration work, you can do so through Rocky Mountain Conservancy’s Kawuneeche Valley Restoration Collaborative Fund. Click here to visit RMC’s website to learn more.
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Engaging local community members and stakeholders with ties to the Kawuneeche Valley is an integral part of this project. KVRC began public outreach, including school field trips, public tours, and ranger trainings in 2022. KVRC continues to host engagement opportunities today.
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KVRC completed the hydrological and ecological conditions assessment, allowing it to establish four pilot sites for restoration—Beaver, Baker, Bowen, and Onahu Creeks. Each site is located in Rocky Mountain National Park and requires a unique restoration approach.
Learn more about our project sites here.
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Work on the Beaver Creek project site began in 2023. This included designs for restoration work in the project site and tackling invasive weeds that impact the site’s ecosystem.
Read more about the Beaver Creek project site and others here.
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We anticipate putting up fencing and constructing instream structures at the Beaver Creek project site in Fall 2024.
These restoration methods will help restore the project site by encouraging some of the site’s natural features and cycles to return. Fences will help protect the site from unwanted activity like grazing and invasive species. Instream structures will help raise water levels.
Check out our frequently asked questions if you want to know more about this.
Don’t Miss an Update
Our project team is hard at work ensuring the Valley and its wildlife return to what nature intended. As our work continues, there will be opportunities for you to join our team on field tours, site visits, and more!