Boulder develops wildlife corridor at Valmont Park

BOULDER — The city of Boulder Parks and Recreation Department has completed the first phase of developing a wildlife corridor inside the 132-acre Valmont City Park. When completed, Valmont will be the largest urban park in the city’s park system.

The decision to include a wildlife corridor within the park, located on the north and south sides of Valmont Road near Airport Road and of Pearl Parkway in Boulder, was based on a series of study sessions held by the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and the city council, beginning in February 2001.

Using a consultant study of the value of potential wildlife habitat on the park site, together they concluded a corridor of wildlife habitat along the eastern park boundary between Valmont Road and Pearl Parkway should be incorporated into future park plans.

The corridor is designed for wildlife movement north from the Boulder Creek area, via a planned pedestrian underpass beneath Valmont Road, to a natural landscaped area in the park north of Valmont Road between the North Boulder Farmers Ditch and the Boulder and Left Hand Ditch.

This particular area, which is being restored to mixed-grass prairie vegetation, moves northeast along the two ditches to the Sawhill Ponds and is focused on wildlife habitat and passive recreational uses, such as paths and interpretive exhibits and signage.

?Given the enormous development in the area, this corridor helps to not shut off a migration area for the animals, and supports the (livelihood) of songbirds and other raptors,? said Ann Wichmann, environmental resource manager for the Boulder Parks and Recreation Department.

Why incorporate a corridor? Because urban development fragments wildlife habitat into isolated units, urban wildlife planning often presents a particular challenge. Ideally, wildlife preserves would be large enough to encompass the home ranges of all mammals and birds present. However, in a location such as Valmont City Park, this is clearly impossible, Stephen Jones, an environmental consultant, wrote in his wildlife habitat assessment of the area.

For example, coyotes occupy homes ranges of four to 140 kilometers and red-tailed hawks defend nesting territories of three to 10 kilometers. This means that the coyote and red-tailed hawk habitat within the Valmont site is part of a habitat fragmented by roads and houses. If coyotes, red-tailed hawks and other wide-ranging birds and mammals are to thrive in the park region, he wrote, it is essential they be able to move from one island of habitat to another.

Therefore, by creating a network of habitat preserves and corridors, it’s easier to maintain habitat for the many species that are present on the park site. Corridors are areas of suitable habitat that permit wildlife to move from one habitat island to another.

To date, the Parks and Recreation Department has removed the 6-foot-high metal fence that previously halted through-access to the park along the south side of the corridor. It also planted 130 cottonwood trees and almost 500 mixed species shrubs along the eastern edge of the southern and northern parts of the corridor.

?Though it’s a bit patchy, the plants are considered to be the backbone of what will hopefully be a wider corridor someday,? Wichmann said.

The backbone, which includes a narrow, 20- to 30-foot-wide planting area, will hopefully grow into dense vegetation with more trees, she added. However, further development and enlargement of the corridor will depend on how the rest of the park is laid out.

The majority of the park site, outside of the Phase 1 development of the park, will remain undeveloped until more funding is received. Because of limited funding, the Parks and Recreation Department is employing public and private partnerships to operate the park and establish the corridor.

In October, 50 volunteers from the community were recruited by Timberland Company, a manufacturer of outdoor gear and footwear, to work on enhancement areas for wildlife in the park. In addition to Timberland, other partners in the project included the Student Conservation Association, Active Endeavors, McGuckin Hardware Store and Galyan’s.

At this one-day event, volunteers cut weeds, removed trash along the northern stretch of the corridor and helped plant about 45 shrubs. The event was on the tails of a community initiative completed with 60 volunteers from various groups that helped plant 400 shrubs this spring.

To maintain these new plantings, the Boulder Parks and Recreation Department installed a drip irrigation system that cost approximately $5,000. Water for the irrigation is stored in a tank filled by water trucks. In addition, the department also is working to chip and mulch the area to keep the plants healthy and encourage new growth.

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