
Boreas Pass Conservation Easement
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- Client: Colorado Open Lands
- Date: December, 2019
- Project Type: Conservation easement baseline documentation report
- Info: Blue Mountain Environmental Consulting was contracted to provide a conservation easement baseline report to satisfy the requirements of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) with respect to charitable contributions.
The 1,300-acre private property in Park County, Colorado, encompassed a variety of environments. Shortgrass prairie, a wetland complex consisting of fen areas make up the area. In addition, there were fringe wetlands associated with several small creeks flowing through mixed conifer and aspen woodlands.
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The project was a high priority for conservation because of the presence of fens, Colorado Natural Heritage Program Potential Conservation Areas. It also includes habitat for globally and state rare Kobresia myosuroides-Thalictrum alpinum plant association. A fen is a unique peat wetland composed of deep peat soil and supported by groundwater with very high nutrient content.
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Terrestrial and aquatic habitats were in excellent condition and had exceptional connectivity with regional public lands. One fen was of particular importance because it represents a unique ecosystem that is home to several state and globally rare plant and invertebrate species. The fen included a unique community of Salix planifolia and Carex aquatilis among a combination of moss mounds and Salix candida.
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The community was in outstanding condition and covered more area than nearly any other comparable fen in the state of Colorado.