Goal: To monitor or track all breeding birds in the high elevation riparian habitat and document distribution, population trends, and abundance in a statistically acceptable manner.

Objective: All species with AI > 2 will be monitored with count-based methods.

Strategy: Monitoring will be accomplished through the combined efforts of agencies with primary responsibility for managing this habitat.

Strategy: Monitoring will continue to rely on BBS data, with data from CBO's Monitoring Colorado's Birds (MCB) program incorporated as it becomes available.

Status: MCB implemented high elevation riparian habitat transects in 1999 and ran a total of 25 transects; trend data should be available for most species within 5-12 years.

Objective: All species with AI 2 will be tracked through count-based methods or their presence/absence noted in the state.

Strategy: CBO's MCB monitoring program will address this.

Status: MCB was implemented on high elevation riparian habitat in 1999.

Objective: All Great Blue Heron colonies in foothills riparian habitats will be monitored or tracked with colony counts.

Status: MCB began cataloguing and censussing Great Blue Heron colonies in 1999 and will census all colonies in 2000.

Objective: Population demographic monitoring will be instituted for all species in high elevation riparian habitats with PT of 4 or 5.

Strategy: CBO's MCB will address this objective.

Status: MCB demographic monitoring will begin in 2001.

Habitat Monitoring

Goal: To document the amount, condition, and ownership of high elevation riparian habitat in Colorado.

Objective: Develop collaborative efforts to use GIS in mapping high elevation riparian habitat, documenting amount, condition, and ownership.

Status: This effort has not been initiated to date. Potential collaborators include CDOW, CNHP, CBO, USGS, USFS, and TNC.

Habitat Core Areas

Goal: To conserve unique representatives and/or large, ecologically-functioning examples of high elevation riparian habitat in Colorado used by birds during the breeding season, during migration, or during the winter.

Objective: Identify such areas, use agency- or organization-specific means of designating and conserving them, and work with the appropriate agency or organization to promote conservation activities.

Status: Appropriate areas that have been identified include USFS Research Natural Areas, USFS Wilderness Areas, and Colorado Natural Areas Program sites (West Creek Natural Area in Larimer County).

Objective: Identify high elevation riparian core areas that are appropriate for designation as Important Bird Areas (IBAs), nominate them, and promote involvement of local groups in conserving these areas once they are designated.

Status: Sites with high elevation riparian habitat were nominated in 1999, including Carpenter Ranch on the Yampa River, and the IBA committee will make final selections in 2000.

Objective: To maintain or increase the quantity and quality of high elevation riparian habitat on private lands.

Strategy: Encourage municipalities to incorporate preservation of high elevation riparian habitat into planning.

Objective: To maintain or increase the quantity and quality of high elevation riparian habitat on public lands.

Strategy: Integrate the BCP into management plans for public lands in the physiographic area.

Site-based Conservation

Goal: To conserve local breeding sites, local migratory stopover sites, and local wintering sites that are important for the conservation of priority species of high elevation riparian habitats.

Objective: Identify agency- or organization-specific means of designating and conserving key local sites. Work with appropriate agencies and organizations to designate such sites, and promote conservation activities.

Objective: Identify key local sites that are appropriate for designation as IBAs, nominate them, and promote involvement of local groups in conserving these areas once they are designated.

Status: Sites with high elevation riparian habitat were nominated in 1999, and the IBA committee will make final selections in 2000.

Management Practices

Goal: To promote management practices that benefit birds in high elevation riparian habitat.

Objective: A Best Management Practices (BMP) manual will be produced and distributed.

Status: Not yet initiated.

Objective: Identify key landowners and land managers and encourage them to incorporate best management practices to conserve high elevation riparian birds and their habitat.

Interstate/International Wintering Grounds

Goal: To conserve the wintering ground habitat used by Colorado's high elevation riparian birds that migrate outside of the state.

Objective: Track amount of available habitat on the wintering grounds.

Strategy: Utilize GIS (state GAP projects, Heritage Program, and/or CBO).

Strategy: Coordinate with appropriate state PIFs, domestic and foreign government agencies, and NGOs to obtain data.

Objective: Protect key tracts of wintering habitat.

Strategy: Identify the wintering distribution and key habitat associations of priority species.

Strategy: Coordinate with appropriate state PIFs, domestic and foreign government agencies, and NGOs to protect wintering habitat through Habitat Core Areas and Site-based Conservation goals and objectives.

Migration Concerns

Goal: To protect migratory stopover habitat used by high elevation riparian birds.

Objective: Identify important migratory stopover areas for priority species that breed in Colorado, and key sites for priority species that breed elsewhere.

Objective: Track amount, condition, and ownership of key migratory stopover sites.

Strategy: Coordinate with appropriate state PIFs, domestic and foreign government agencies, and NGOs to protect migratory habitat through Habitat Core Areas and Site-based Conservation goals and objectives.

Outreach and Education

Goal: To provide information on high elevation riparian habitat birds (conservation, habitat needs, natural history, etc.) to children, teachers, naturalists, landowners, natural resource professionals, and other interested parties.

Strategy: Make educational materials available at local nature centers and natural resource agency offices.

Strategy: Hold workshops and field programs for teachers.

Strategy: Hold workshops and field programs for natural resource professionals (CDOW, BLM, and USFS staff).

Strategy: Present information at Teacher Association meetings, conferences, other annual meetings.

Strategy: Submit manuscripts to popular magazines for children and adults.

Research Priorities

Goal: To identify and facilitate research that will aid in understanding and managing high elevation riparian habitats for Colorado's birds.

Objective: To identify the top ten research needs in high elevation riparian habitat in Colorado.

Strategy: Update the list of research needs annually to reflect shifting conservation priorities and to remove research needs from the list as they are investigated.

Strategy: Solicit input from researchers and managers on research needs and accomplishments.

Status: The following research needs have been identified:

1. The effect of livestock grazing on habitat suitability during the breeding, wintering, and migration periods.

2. The impact of Brown-headed Cowbird nest parasitism on breeding success of high elevation riparian birds.

3. The effect on habitat suitability of residential and other development in high elevation riparian habitats.

Strategy: Facilitate investigations to answer these questions by providing information about priority needs to universities, public and private research entities, identifying funding sources, and promoting collaboration between management and research agencies.