• Start-up
  • Planning
  • Action
  • Evaluation
This project used the Quick Start Guide to Adaptation Planning for Land Trusts to consider climate risks and adaptation options for a shortgrass prairie natural area outside of Fort Collins, Colorado.
A trail running through a grassland and passing a wetland area
Grassland with sky above

Project Area

Map of the Cathy Fromme Prairie Natural Area
Cathy Fromme Prairie is a rare example of Fort Collins pre-settlement shortgrass prairie landscape. The 1,088.25-acre area was protected by a conservation easement collaboration effort between the city and Colorado Open Lands. The natural area has drylands and wetlands that provide habitat to a variety of plants and animals including horned lizards, ground-nesting songbirds, butterflies, rabbits, coyotes and rattlesnakes. The raptor observatory, built into the hillside near the Shields Street entrance, is an excellent place from which to watch hawks and eagles, especially in winter.

Management Goals

A trail winding through a prairie

Overall goals for this prairie natural area include:

  • Enhance and maintain native shortgrass prairie ecosystem.
  • Maintain habitat for wildlife, specifically bird populations.
  • Manage passive recreation to reduce impacts on the ecosystem.
  • Reduce the populations of invasive plants and pests. 

Challenges and Opportunities

Climate change will present challenges and opportunities for accomplishing the management goals and objectives of this project, including:

Challenges

Increasing drought conditions could change native species ranges and increase drought tolerant non-native species.
Increasing temperature and drought conditions could increase the risk of severe wildfire that could detrimentally affect the ecosystem.
Warming temperatures could deplete water sources for plants and wildlife.
Increased recreational visitor use could lead to increased habitat damage.

Opportunities

Hotter, drier, and longer growing seasons will benefit some native grassland species.
Shorter, warmer winters will benefit prairie dog populations (an important food for raptors).
Wildfires could help decrease non-native species.

Adaptation Actions

Project participants used the Quick Start Guide for Land Trusts along with an adaptation menu for grasslands from the adaptation workbook to develop adaptation actions for this project. 

Area/Topic
Approach
Tactics
Grasslands
3.3. Emulate natural disturbance processes from natural and indigenous fire
Conduct prescribed fire during the growing season to reduce woody vegetation and prevent large-scale wildfire.
4.1. Maintain or restore genetic diversity of ecological communities
Plant a diverse variety of native prairie grasses, including both cool-season grasses for high herbage and native warm-season with high drought tolerance. (2 years)
Prioritize grasslands with high plant species richness or prairie dog colony for protection. (5 years)
2.1. Maintain or create movement corridors
Use geospatial information to identify new and existing migration and dispersal corridors for species of interest. (10 years)

Monitoring

Project participants identified several monitoring items that could help inform future management, including:
Comparison of native plant vs. non-native plant species populations in 1, 5, and 10 years following management intervention.
Use a trail use tracker to determine increase or decrease in trail use in high-impacted areas.
Monitor creation of social trails over time.
Monitor population trends in prairie dog colony.

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