Dedisse Wetlands Management Plan

A comprehensive management plan aims to sustainably preserve a park’s vital montane ecosystem.

Evergreen, Colorado’s Dedisse Park is a popular destination for golfing, boating, ice skating, and fishing. Concerned that the park’s 7.2 acres of unique montane wetlands were at risk of gradually drying out, Denver Mountain Parks (DMP) hired Biohabitats to help develop a management plan for the Dedisse Park wetlands and riparian corridor. Biohabitats’ approach built upon previous work performed for the City Department of Parks and Recreation and identified goals for natural resource management and restoration as well as priority actions to help achieve those goals.

Biohabitats assessed the condition of 3,000 LF of Bear Creek, a stream that flows through the wetlands on the Evergreen Golf Course and Dedisse Park, focusing on bank and riparian conditions. The project team collected and reviewed data, evaluated the project site, and scored the area using FACWet (Facultative Assessment of Colorado Wetlands), which addresses elements including vegetation, hydrology, and the surrounding watershed. Biohabitats recorded and mapped site observations and developed a web-based field data map that identified areas that were lacking riparian vegetation, suitable for restoration, and impacted by erosion.

Biohabitats then developed management objectives and strategies consistent with key DMP-wide management goals and prepared a Wetland and Riparian Area Management Plan that summarized high value ecological features and possible threats. The plan included recommended near and long-term actions as well as an approach for implementation tailored to this special montane park.

TAGS

• Analysis+Planning
• Ecological Restoration