Presentation for Oregon State University's online course titled Endangered Species, Society & Sustainability.

1. Southern Rockies, Colorado
Presented by Danielle Neumann
For
Endangered Species, Society & Sustainability

2.  I have lived in (yes, in) the White River National Forest for the last 6 years. The pictures provided through the
presentation are mainly my own. This forest is close to my heart, fulfilling the need for wilderness that drove my
husband and I to leave Michigan and move to a state, Colorado, where we knew no one. I wanted to share my
experience here on a slide.
My mustang & I in the WRNF.
Packing Tibetan Yaks
at Camp Hale with
my friend.
I went on my first
climb in Lime
Creek Canyon.
The view from Deep Creek Overlook,
the Flat Tops, WRNF.

3.  The WRNF is owned by the
American people through
the government and run by
the United States of America
Department of Agriculture
Forest Service.
 Though the forest is public
wilderness managed by the
government, there are
many towns and cities within
it’s borders with private
properties.
 The WRNF is located in the
Southern Rockies, in the
western half of Colorado. I
have provided a map of this
extensive, amazing mass of
land.
 There are 8 wilderness areas,
10 mountain peaks over
14,000 feet above sea level
and 12 ski resorts in the forest
spread over 2.3 MILLION
acres.
 This is the top forest in the
country for recreation.
 This map is provided by the
U.S.F.S. (fs.usda.gov)

4. • The White River National Forest was established
in 1891 as the White River Plateau Timber
Reserve; it was the second such timber reserve
in the United States
• The USFS gained the WRNF in 1905 after an act
of Congress changed the name “forest
reserves” to “national forests”
• The WRNF was originally 1.1 million acres,
created by President Harrison. President
Roosevelt visited in 1901 while his chief
executive hunted mountain lions. Roosevelt
reduced the forest by 61,000 acres in 1902 and
a further 159,000 acres in 1904.
• In 1946, Aspen Mountain opened with two chair
lifts. In the 1960s, following Aspen’s skiing
success, other resorts opened up. More than 10
million people visit the forest each year now.
• 1984 was the year the forest completed its first
Land and Resource Management Plan
(fs.usda.gov)
• It is a local myth, accepted and unaccepted by
certain theorists, that after Roosevelt’s WRNF
hunting trip in 1901 he was presented with the
first stuffed bear at the Hotel Colorado in
Glenwood Springs. This is claimed to be the
origin of the teddy bear.

5. • The habitats of the
forest are incredibly
diverse, from low
elevation shrubland
to 14,000 foot
mountain peaks
• Some of the riparian
habitats are found
near the Piney lake,
Sylvan Lake, Squaw
Creek, Salt Creek and
Lake Creek areas.
• Sagebrush flats can
be found up on the
Flat Tops, in the
Wolcott area, the
Rifle area and the
Meeker area
• Montane forests cover
many of our skiable
acreage, such as
Beaver Creek
• Timberlines are clearly
visible and relatively
easily hiked to from
the Piney Lake area
• Subalpine & alpine
habitats can be visited
in the Gore Range &
Sawatch range;
14,000 peaks such as
Mt Holy Cross can be
summited in WRNF
• On the way to the
14,000 peak summits
alpine grasslands and
tundra are crossed

6. This is Copper, a fox in the WRNF who used to come to
us when called and hike around our property with us.
The WRNF is home to a
great diversity of
species, such as :
• Black bear
• Mountain lion
• Moose
• Big horn sheep
• Elk
• Mule deer
• Red fox
• Pine martens
• Bats
Endangered Species
include:
• Black-footed ferret
• Lynx
Raptors commonly
sighted:
• Bald eagle
• Golden eagle
• American kestrel
• Osprey
• Red-tailed hawks
• Great horned owls
Over 249 avian species
have been recorded
on Ebird. (ebird.com)
Flora includes:
• Aspen groves
• Sagebrush
• Juniper
• Cottonwood
• Various firs
• Various pines
• Columbine
• Larkspur
(fs.usfs.gov)

7. I spoke at length with Elizabeth Roberts, a wildlife bioligist and botanist with the White River National
Forest. The audio of my phone interview is on the next slide, as our in-person interview fell through.
The last known lynx was trapped in what is now the back bowls of Vail Ski Resort in the 1970s. This does
not mean there were no more lynx left in the state, rather that there were no more reported sightings.
In 1999, reintroduction of the lynx began, with 69 released in suitable habitats across the state. All of the
released animals wore collars to aid research.
The lynx was put on the Endangered Species Act in 2000 and a recovery plan was due September of
2002. The recovery plan was never completed. However, an interagency coordinated approach was
addressed through two amendments. Liz felt that the amendments were crucial to the reintroduction
success & really helped guide management policies. The lack of a recovery plan can be misleading if
the amendments are not discussed when the topic is
broached.
At first, when the lynx were introduced, there was a high
mortality rate. The lynx were then held & fed well before
release. There is no conclusive data on why the mortality
rates were so high, but it can be reasonably deduced
that the lynx needed a grace period to adjust to the new
territories. Mortality rates dropped with the new approach.
It is difficult to know what a self-sustaining, non-threatened
population of lynx looks like as they are not an apex
predator and were scarce to begin with. However, since multiple generations have reproduced without
human intercession, the reintroduction is considered a success.
(wikipedia.org)

8. Researchers have left the lynx population alone for the
last few years. Liz was of the opinion that this was
beneficial to the species, as they are not acclimated to
people and the population should be left wild if success is
to continue.
Monitoring such an elusive species is difficult. Researchers
use trail cameras set up at key crossroads to identify
individuals and traffic.
Snowshoe hare are the primary diet of the lynx, with red-
tailed squirrels being their secondary prey. Both live in old
growth forests, which have been affected by our Rocky
Mountain pine beetle epidemic. There is an ongoing
study of hare populations, but Liz pointed out that the new growth trees unaffected by the beetles
provide suitable habitat & forage for the snowshoe hares.
The lynx issue prompted a terrorist group to light structures on Vail Mountain on fire when Vail proposed
an expansion of their ski terrain in an area with ideal lynx habitat. While the ski runs and the traffic in the
winter do affect some of their terrain, Liz pointed out that the forest service took the lynx population
into account when considering the expansion (Vail leases from the U.S. Forest Service.) Part of the
contract with Vail required operations in the summer to be completely stopped so the lynx are not
disturbed for that portion of the year. It should be noted that Blue Sky Basin, the expansion, backs up to
large, completely undeveloped tracks of lynx habitat and wilderness areas.
As discussed further in this presentation, the lynx habitat in the WRNF is highly fractured and this species
is very subject to the edge effects.
(rockymountainwild.org)

9. I called the public affairs department of the White River National Forest and spoke with Bill Kight
about shadowing a ranger for a day or coming in to do an interview. He was really helpful and
suggested that I meet with Elizabeth Roberts, a wildlife biologist and botanist who has been with the
White River National Forest for over 10 years. He suggested that Liz, as she goes by, would know the
most about lynx habitat. All of the information on the previous few slides are referenced from my
interview.
Liz is getting ready to leave the WRNF for a position in Oregon and had to cancel our in-person
interview. Instead, we scheduled it last minute over the phone. Some of my questions were more
suited for the Colorado Department of Wildlife wildlife manager, but I was unable to meet with him
in time to complete this project. I tried to keep the tone of the interview conversational instead of
interrogational. As I have never met Liz face to face, I was a little more awkward and said “um”
more that I usually would have. Part of it was me trying to stay organized while interviewing from my
car!
While we began discussing lynx, towards the end of the interview we discussed some management
issues and very briefly touched on invasive species. The second audio clip was simply me asking
about Liz’s career path and for her career path suggestions, which might be useful to other students
in this course.
Lynx/Management/Invasive Questions Career Adivice

10. Eurasian Collared-Dove
Streptopelia decaocto
 There is concern among ornithologists that Eurasian collared-doves are aggressive to native
doves and other avian species. They are known to be bullies to local species at bird feeders.
 However, some ornithologists point out that birds can appear and have explosions in population
numbers only to disappear.
 Across Colorado, there is no bag limit on how many Eurasian collared-doves a hunter can bring
down. Hunting is considered the primary management tool at the moment. (denverpost,com)
• A few Eurasian
collared-doves
were introduced to
the Bahamas in the
1970s.
• In the 1980s, the
Eurasian collared-
dove spread to
Florida and rapidly
colonized most of
North America
(Allaboutbirds.com)
• The Bahama birds
escaped a
burglarized pet
shop & made their
way to North
America
• The first Eurasian
collared-dove
spotted by
ornithologists in
Colorado was in
Rocky Ford in
1996
• The Eurasian
collared-dove is
now found in all
64 counties of
Colorado, with
an estimated
population of
over 19,000
individuals in
2014 (including
White River
National Forest)
(Denverpost.com)

11. Scentless Chammomile
Matricaria perforata
• Scentless
chamomile is
an escaped
ornamental
imported from
Europe
• The plant now
grows
worldwide
• It is a bushy
annual, ½- 2
feet tall, with 12
petal white
flowers
• It is well-
established in
the White River
National Forest
• Scentless
chamomile is a
member of the
sunflower family
• The plant has
no forage value
• It can cause
blistering of
muzzles &
irritate mucous
membranes as
well as cause
skin rashes in
livestock
• A large portion
of White River
National Forest
is open to
livestock
• Scentless chamomile can be confused with Oxeye daisy, which is also a white flower with a yellow
center. Oxeye daisy has lobed, broad leafs. The Oxeye daisy is more fern-like. (co.laplata.co.us)
(co.laplata.us)

12. As Liz pointed out in our
phone conversation, the
White River National Forest is
an urban forest. This comes
with a unique set of
management needs and
goals.
There is a large amount of
private property within the
forest borders. This makes
management challenging
at times- for instance,
controlled burns and
natural burns are allowed,
but private property and
the safety of residents come
first. One can logically conclude that this would also make permitting and usage laws different than
they might have been if the forest was undeveloped. As the number one forest in the country for
recreation, the tourism industry has to be taken into account as it is a huge driving force in the local
economies. While this increases traffic and can fracture habitats and create larger edge effects for
wildlife, it must be pointed out that people tend to protect and care about what they love. When
people visit and play in the forest, the usage fees they pay go to forest maintenance and protection
and personal attachment to that specific wilderness is increased. It can be deduced that this
increased attachment would make citizens more likely to vote in ways that are beneficial to the forest.
(Wikipedia.org)
(wikipedia.org)

13. There are many design flaws within the White River National Forest, unfortunately. We have an
extensive road network through many of the wilderness areas and ranges found within the borders,
and the forest is an urban forest as discussed in the previous slide.
Access to the forest is crucial to the local economies and generally viewed in a positive light.
However, in recent years there has been controversy in the White River National Forest over how far
that should go. Hidden Gems is a debate that you will hear about in coffee shops, at lunch and on
bumper stickers. The Hidden Gems proposal for Colorado intended to expand wildernesses,
including the White River National Forest, and create additional wildernesses. The counties where
White River National Forest is found were the most affected.
Off-road enthusiasts, mountain bikers and industries such as logging and mining have gone against
the proposal, wanting those areas to remain open to vehicle access. People in favor of the proposal
argue that it is necessary to preserve some of our more pristine wilderness areas and keep them
accessible by more natural means only, such as hiking and horseback riding. In wilderness areas, no
motorized vehicles or commercial activities are allowed in general. (coloradoindependent.com)
It is my personal opinion that enough backcountry areas are accessible by vehicles. Take a look at
the next slide to get an idea of what access to part of the WRNF is like. Keep in mind that this is only
a small portion of the national forest as a
whole. This link below will take you to more
extensive maps and areas such as Piney
lake and Holy Cross. I think it is important
not to further fracture the habitat that
many endangered and beloved species
call home.
http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/whiteriver/
home/?cid=stelprdb5328680

14. This is just a sample of some of our accessible areas still considered “backcountry.” I had to shrink the
map to fit the slide, but any line that is not bold or designating the grid is a public road!
(fs.usda.gov)

15. I realize that saying “I have no clear suggestion” might seem like a lack of care or study for the purpose of
this presentation. However, the design of the forest is currently a hot debate with both sides supported by
many highly educated people who know the forest intimately. I thought that I could easily say how I would
have done things differently in the past, but upon reflection I don’t think that is true.
Ideally, the forest would not be cut almost in half from north to south by Interstate 70. The construction of the
highway was originally a hot debate by locals. The building of an elk fence about 10 years ago, to keep
wildlife off the highway and reduce fatalities of people and wildlife alike, was also controversial as it
interrupts traditional elk migrations. I used to board my horse next to the Colorado Department of Wildlife
wildlife manager’s property (Bill Andre.) One day Bill mentioned in passing that it was sad how the lynx’s
habitat was fractured by the highway in an almost impassable way for the species. However, this has made
visiting our area safer for tourists and has brought in much needed revenues.
I am in favor of the Hidden Gems proposal and do think that there should be more hard-to-reach areas. I
think this would help a huge design flaw (the building of roads and amount of easy human access.) We
have shy species such as the lynx and black-footed ferret that are affected by human presence.
As far as ideal design goes, the approval for the ski areas such as Vail and Beaver Creek should not have
been approved. There was much construction in the forest for the development of the resorts, including
alteration of landscapes for ski runs and lifts. Though I can’t agree with the terrorists who started fires at Vail, I
can agree that the creation of Blue Sky Basin did fracture lynx habitat and render it unusable during winter.
However, I do ski Blue Sky Basin and I do appreciate the boost to the economy Vail Resorts has provided. This
also generates more money for conservation of areas not in use right now; Vail Resorts does contribute to
environmental education and protection even as they use some controversial areas to make profits.
I don’t feel that there is any clear cut answer to designing the White River National Forest. Perhaps there is no
clear-cut answer to design suggestions in any of the forests or reserves we discuss in this class.
In summary, there is much that could have been done in the name of preservation and conservation when
designing the forest at the expense of the economy and mountain lifestyles.
My biggest suggestion would be to maintain where we are, don’t build any more roads, campgrounds or
access and approve the Hidden Gems Proposal. This would involve increased community presence by WRNF
workers and those who can make a convincing case for lack of easy access in a wilderness expansion.

16. Roberts, Elizabeth. "Elizabeth Roberts Interview." Telephone interview. 6 Mar. 2015.
"About White River National Forest." Forest Service. USDA, n.d. Web. 6 Mar. 2015.
"History & Culture." White River National Forest -. FS/USDA, n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2015.
Scoppettone, G. Gary. "A FISH SURVEY OF THE WHITE RIVER, NEVADA." Western North American Naturalist 64.1 (2004): 45-52. Forest
Service. USDA. Web. 6 Mar. 2015.
"EBird Subnational2 – Eagle." EBird. EBird, n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2015.
"Lynx Photo." Wikipedia. Wikipedia, n.d. Web. 6 Mar. 2015. <http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/Luchs.jpg>.
"Scentless Chamomile (Matricaria Perforata)." Scentless Chamomile (Matricaria Perforata). State of Colorado, n.d. Web. 08 Mar.
2015.
<http://www.co.laplata.co.us/departments_and_elected_officials/general_services/weed_management_office/noxious_weed_list
/scentless_chamomile>.
Lofholm, Nancy. "Invasive Doves Colonize Colorado and Overshadow "good" Doves." The Denver Post. The Denver Post, 25 Feb.
2014. Web. 08 Mar. 2015.
"Eurasian Collared-Dove." Identification, All About Birds. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2015.
“Vail, Colorado." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vail,_Colorado>.
"Stop Hidden Gems Logo." Blogspot.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Mar. 2015. <http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-
W4dFI1A_70I/T5BDRsmQAAI/AAAAAAAAAAY/OU8wUM11ERk/s1600/StopHiddenGems.jpg>.
"Pro Hidden Gems Logo." Icravefreebies.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Mar. 2015. <http://www.icravefreebies.com/wp-
content/uploads/2012/03/hidden-gems.jpg>.
Williams, David O. "Hidden Gems Wilderness Debate Heats Up In Mountain Towns." Coloradoindependent.com. Colorado
Independent, 2 Aug. 2010. Web. 8 Mar. 2015. <http://www.coloradoindependent.com%2F58616%2Fhidden-gems-wilderness-
debate-heats-up-in-mountain-towns>.