Roadside Impacts on Vegetation and Rare Plants in Western Colorado

Physaria congesta, Dudley Bluffs bladderpod and Physaria obcordata, Dudley Bluffs twinpod are threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. Both species are known generally from the Piceance (pronounced PEE-awnts) Creek Basin of Rio Blanco County in Colorado. All occurrences of both species are within a rectangle spanning 27 miles east to west and 17 miles north to south. Threats to the species are increasing dramatically and are expected to continue at an accelerated pace because of natural gas drilling and potential oil shale development. Rio Blanco County currently has 2,600 natural gas wells, but predictions estimate there may be as many as 19,000 wells within 15 years. The Piceance Creek Road, along which almost all populations of Physaria obcordata are found, is the only paved road access within 20 miles to an area rich with natural gas. Vehicle use along the Piceance Creek road in 2003 was approximately 411 vehicle trips a day and in 2007 was over 2900 vehicle trips a day. Many of these vehicles use unpaved access roads to reach well pads in the surrounding areas. However, the effects of fugitive dust on native and, in particular, rare plants are poorly studied in arid environments of the desert West. The Colorado Natural Areas Program in conjunction with several partners (including the Bureau of Land Management State and White River Offices) is intending to publish a Request for Proposals to study the effects of roads and dispersed development on native and rare vegetation in the Piceance Basin. The study or studies will examine the effects of roads and dispersed development on both Physaria species, and possibly additional native species as well. There is also potential to include a study into the effects of roads and dispersed development on the main pollinators of these rare plant species. Understanding where and if oil and gas development and the associated roads are having an effect on native plants and demography, especially these rare Physaria species, will allow land managers to more effectively manage the species and will help to further quantify this indirect but very real effect. These dollars will go to the Colorado Natural Areas Program but are primarily pass through dollars that will subsequently be awarded to researcher proposal(s) that the reviewing group selects as most appropriate. Additional funding is subject to availability of funds.