Eagle County, located in central Colorado, encompasses more than 1,700 square miles of unique and stunning mountainous terrain, valleys, rivers, and forests. It is comprised of nine communities that are as unique and diverse as the people who live in them. The communities range from the high elevation mountainous alpine resort areas of Vail to the rangelands of Burns. More than 80% of Eagle County’s land is public and includes National Forests, wilderness areas, U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) properties, and state and local public lands. The mountains and valleys of this area provide outstanding habitat for wildlife, and the health of the natural environment is inextricably connected to the strong sense of place and identity of Eagle County residents.
Eagle County’s water originates from snow accumulated during the winter months in high elevation areas of the Central Rocky Mountains. Winter snows and summer rains supply the regional aquifers, rivers, streams, creeks and drainages, and snowmelt accounts for the bulk of the water critical to the numerous ecosystem services that support the needs of the County. The quantity, quality, and runoff-timing of water supplied to Eagle County via streams, rivers, and aquifers is essential to the County’s economic, social, and environmental health and well-being.
While this region is productive, it is not immune to the impacts of climate change and natural hazards such as floods, drought, and wildfires. Because of the expansive forested areas in the region, Eagle County and western Colorado have historically been prone to wildfires; yet in the past, wildfires have occurred mostly in remote areas and were of minimal concern. With only two fires that have burned over 2,000 acres and four fire years with over 1,000 acres burned, evidence suggests that the County has been spared the broader statewide fire trend, in part through extensive fire suppression activities. However, this means that many parts of the region have not seen significant disturbance for up to a century, leaving large amounts of highly flammable fuel on the landscape.
The Natural Resource Climate Challenge
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Rising Temperatures
Temperatures in Eagle County are increasing due to climate change. This can present a serious health concern for many residents, including those that work or recreate regularly outside, very young children, the elderly, and those without access to a place where they can cool off and, if needed, rehydrate. Rising temperatures have the additional impact of facilitating a more productive habitat for the spread of disease and vector-borne illnesses, which can negatively effect individual and community health.
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Increasing Wildfire Risk
As climate change exacerbates the size, intensity, and duration of wildfires, there is the possibility of catastrophic impacts to the health of Eagle County’s residents and visitors. Poor air quality and a lack of safe and sanitary drinking water due to wildfire can cause serious health concerns in the community and can disproportionately impact particularly vulnerable populations such as the elderly and those with pre-existing medical conditions. As wildfires can rapidly change the face of a landscape by burning down homes and entire neighborhoods, access to safe evacuation routes and resources to support individuals and families during and after an evacuation is crucial.
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Increasing Drought
Drought conditions impact natural systems in several important ways. For example, higher temperatures and drought conditions have contributed to the reduction in streamflow of the Colorado River by 17-50% between 2000 - 2014 [2], impacting water availability for wildlife and terrestrial and aquatic species and habitats. The health of our aquatic ecosystems are entirely dependent on the amount, timing, and variability of the stream flows in our rivers, creeks, and streams [3].
Natural Resource Resilience Strategies
Create wildfire resilient landscapes.
How It Helps: The wildfires of the past few years highlight current and future risk to our communities, particularly areas that are in the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI). This risk will continue to increase due to climate change, but resilient landscapes can limit the extent of the fires, allow plant and animal species to rebound more rapidly, and lower the occurrence of catastrophic fires.
Actions:
Use prescribed fire (when appropriate) to manage noxious weeds and to ensure fuel buildup does not occur.
Expand wildfire regulations, authority, and enforcement.
Increase social and political acceptance through education and success stories to increase acceptance that wildfire is a natural and integral part of the landscape.
Create resilient wildlife populations by maintaining healthy ecosystems and habitat connectivity.
How It Helps: Healthy wildlife depends on healthy ecosystems. Lowering non-climate related stressors, such as pollution, will allow species to better respond to and survive periods of extreme weather (such as droughts). Limiting habitat fragmentation and increasing habitat connectivity will allow animals to move to new areas as conditions continue to change.
Actions:
Cultivate partnerships with organizations focused on enhancing wildlife and ecosystem health.
Plan, fund, and implement wildlife habitat restoration projects, especially in riparian zones.
Protect wildlife travel corridors through smart growth and development.
Adopt and enforce requirements that improve water quality and quantity.
How It Helps: Eagle County is a complex social and environmental system where we rely on nature for a variety of services, including clean drinking water. Growing populations and development can put additional demands on water sources and increase pollution. Thus, enhancing our investments in these areas will ensure that all residents have access to clean water for decades to come.
Actions:
Reestablish the Urban Runoff Group with expanded scope for Eagle River watershed.
Support infrastructure planning to mitigate runoff after a wildfire (i.e., pollutants/sediment filtered through retention ponds before reaching waterways).
Adopt county codes focused on setbacks from waterways and floodplains to protect riparian habitat.
Encourage adoption of innovative indoor and outdoor water efficiency programs and strategies.
How It Helps: Decreasing water use (particularly outdoors during the summer) will create a buffer that we can use in times of drought and to support continued population growth. Being more efficient also saves money and frees up resources at both the neighborhood and regional level that can be used in other ways to build resilience.
Actions:
Adopt water efficiency codes and ordinances that optimize outdoor water use.
Support water planning efforts focused on potential community growth levels so as not to exhaust the Eagle River’s water supply solely for human consumption.
Initiate a turf rebate program to encourage xeriscaping, low water use, and native vegetation.
Create a multi-jurisdictional program to develop and implement best management practices for post-fire recovery.
How It Helps: Wildfires are a natural part of life in our forests. Being ready for wildfire means not just responding appropriately during the fire, but taking actions post-fire that help the ecosystems and our communities recover quickly and enhance preparedness for future fires.
Actions:
Integrate source water protection planning efforts across Eagle County.
Enact pre-fire risk studies and post-fire rehabilitation plans.
Identify who will coordinate long-term multi-jurisdictional post-fire recovery on both public and private property including fundraising/volunteer coordination.
Implement educational programs to encourage responsible use of resources and protect ecosystem health.
How It Helps: Residents and visitors to Eagle County inevitably impact natural resources that we rely on to support our economy and our ways of life. Increasing our understanding of how individuals, families, neighborhoods, and communities can affect resource abundance or the health of our ecosystems will impact how we use and care for those resources.
Actions:
Create an education program focused on recreational fishing temperature standards (local anglers and guides would halt fishing when river temperatures are too high).
Integrate "ecoliteracy" into school curriculums, community educational programs, and materials.
Provide educational resources on ways home and property owners can mitigate invasive species.
Potential Partners
Local governments, non-profits (Walking Mountains Science Center, Eagle River Watershed Council, Eagle River Water and Sanitation District (ERWSD), Roaring Fork Conservancy (RFC), Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES), recreation companies, residents of Eagle County, local non-profit education organizations, Eagle County Public Schools, Eagle Valley Outdoor Movement partners, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Eagle County Sustainable Communities Department, Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), the United States Forest Service (USFS), Urban Renewal Authority, towns, County, State, metro districts, fire departments, emergency response team, utilities, the build and design community, agriculture community, non-water system town and metro districts, homeowner associations (HOA’s), property owner associations (POA’s), State of Colorado, water districts and providers, Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), conservation districts, Urban Runoff Group, developers, watershed coalitions, town codes, Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment (CDPHE), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), ranch owners, Eagle County Environmental Health Department, Eagle County Engineering Department, conservation funds and trusts, Vail Resorts, towns, Walking Mountains Science Center, trail groups, Safe Passages for Wildlife, fishing outfitters and guides, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF), Trout Unlimited (TU), Mule Deer Group, Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS), Eagle Valley Land Trust (EVLT), non-profit organizations, non-governmental organizations, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), landowners, landscape firms, RealFire, local governments, CSU extension, universities, elected officials.
