Owls, elks, woodlands and steppes were just some parts of the ecological world included in a recent assessment of Mesa Verde National Park’s natural resources.
With more than 600 plant species, 70 types of mammals, 200 varieties of birds and a whopping 1,000 forms of insects and other invertebrates, Mesa Verde boasts a diverse range of life in addition to its well-preserved ruins.
But stress placed on these organisms and their landscapes – from wildfires to invasive species to climate change – show a need for monitoring.
Mesa Verde’s new report takes a detailed look at six natural resources, both living and non-living, and offers a window into the well-being of the park as summer visitors arrive in troves to admire the Ancestral Puebloan dwellings. The six resources included in the report were divided into birds, ungulates, rare plants, springs and seeps, upland vegetation and the Mancos River. Topping off the report were suggestions on future stewardship, such as bringing in native plants species in areas affected by wildfires, protecting a rare flower in the Pea family and upkeeping the portion of the Mancos River running through the park.
“Understanding the condition of park natural resources, as well as how and why they are changing over time, is vital for managing and protecting these resources,” the assessment reads.
Researchers from Conservation Science Partners and Western Colorado University assembled the study, using data that sometimes spanned decades.
However, the assessment included only a subset of focuses, giving a limited look at the park’s natural resources, the assessment points out.
Nonetheless the assessment reveals findings that could be used to better inform land stewardship endeavors.
Data on birds, ungulates and rare plants showed overall neutral indicators, but revealed that at least one rare plant has become even more rare yet.
Of three raptors, only the golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) was found as likely to have a stable population, whereas researchers concluded that the presence of peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus) in the park could not be fully known. The Mexican spotted owl (Strix occidentalis lucida) had not been spotted there since 2009.
Of 53 songbird species surveyed, most populations remained stable and some grew, while a small number had declined. Hummingbirds, namely the black-chinned hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri) and broad-tailed hummingbird (Selasphorus platycercus) were reported as stable.
When it came to ungulates surveyed, the elk (Cervus elaphus) and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) showed a slight increase over the past two decades.
While the animal data did not show worrying trends, one rare plant that stood out with a more alarming finding.
While all among the 14 of Mesa Verde’s rare plants are of some conservation concern, the average density of one small, purple flower-producing rare plant, the Cliff Palace milkvetch (Astragalus deterior), decreased by 95% in areas affected by burning and 80% in unburned areas.
The report described the plant’s loss as “a dramatic, concerning decline in its population.”
Shifting to the landscapes and bodies of water where these animals and plants exist, the report found more mixed results, with factors like fires impacting vegetation and possible drying and warming altering dynamics in the Mancos River.
First were the park’s cool water springs, fed by underground aquifers. Lesser known but also important are the park’s seeps, or aquatic areas where groundwater does not necessarily rise to the surface. They serve as important gathering spots for wildlife.
Most of the springs and seeps are far from a road or trail, and very few were impacted by tramping or grazing from livestock, the assessment found.
Taking a look at vegetation, the assessment showed that tree cover has decreased as shrub cover has grown. More non-native plants have grown in place of pinyon-juniper habitats that were burned down by fires from two decades ago.
As for the Mancos River, which flows for about 5 miles through Mesa Verde, water quality, habitats along the river and populations of native fish were mostly reported with positive or fair conditions.
But trends for smaller macroinvertebrate species were mixed, mostly leaning on poor conditions. The assessment suggested these were likely due to some degree of drying out and warming up of the river.
Concluding the assessment, the report highlighted some of the main findings worthy of closer, more deliberate stewardship.
Given special emphasis was the protection of the dwindling Cliff Palace milkvetch, the establishment of native plants in pinon-juniper woodlands stripped away by wildfires and ensuring the health of the Mancos River.
Trends like non-native plant species and impacts on the Mancos River were in line with what Molly Mazel, deputy director of the Montezuma Land Conservancy, has seen in some of the conservation she and her organization does.
Conserving the land is group effort that transcends the efforts of the National Park Service or the Bureau of Land Management, Mazel said.
Private land owners and people recreating in the outdoors, too, have a role, she said.
“The work doesn’t get done by one agency or one person doing this kind of monitoring or restoration work,” she said. “It takes all of us.”
