At a Glance
Multiple departments within the City of Fort Collins have applied an ecological, holistic approach to wetland and riparian management using revegetation, monitoring, and mitigation projects to improve biodiversity and resiliency of restoration efforts on City lands.
Project Description
From 2010 to 2013, Biohabitats assisted the City of Fort Collins Water Utilities by conducting wetland assessments and annual monitoring reporting required by the wetland permits for the Timberline Road Widening Mitigation and Manhattan Detention Basin Mitigation sites. This work included coordinating with the City survey crew to map wetland limits, assessing wetland vegetation, and documenting progress toward permit goals. At the Timberline site, our monitoring revealed that the previous design (created and installed by others) did not have adequate wetland vegetation. As a result, the City Utilities Department had Biohabitats develop a revegetation plan and install the plantings to supplement the existing planting and restore a resilient mosaic of native plants for the range of on-site hydrologic conditions.
Biohabitats has also conducted a wetland mitigation project for the City of Fort Collins’ Director of Capital Improvements including mitigation planning, design development, construction, and monitoring of the I-25/392 Interchange Wetland. The first step in constructing this wetland was a planning process to evaluate alternatives. Biohabitats reviewed background information including National Wetlands Inventory and soils data for three potential mitigation areas selected by the City and conducted field visits. A site near the interchange was chosen for building the wetland, and Biohabitats began construction in March 2013, after obtaining erosion control material, marking off vegetation salvage areas in the field, and coordinating logistics with City staff and an adjacent property owner.