Colorado’s aquatic environments are critical to housing important biodiversity. This biodiversity supports many rare and endangered species in our state. It also supports non-aquatic species such as eagles and ospreys, shore feeding birds such as cranes and egrets, insect-feeding birds and bats, and fur-bearing critters such as otter, muskrat, and mink. As many Coloradans are aware our aquatic resources also support a recreational sport fishery that not only brings great enjoyment to many but also creates an economy of billions of dollars in our state. Where wildfires create conditions for excessive flood and sedimentation aquatic resources can be damaged for many years. Protecting these critical resources in a mostly arid environment is critical for all Coloradans.

Inventory of important aquatic resources should be conducted as part of a wildfire ready watershed planning effort. If these resources are vulnerable to post-fire hazards then pre-fire mitigation efforts may be made in order to lessen the severity of future fires. This information may also play into wildfire fighting efforts as well as in where to prioritize post-fire mitigation efforts.