Degener's penstemon (Penstemon degeneri) is a perennial herb in the Plantaginaceae (Plaintain Family) that is found only in Fremont, Custer and Chaffee counties, and is considered to be imperiled at a global and state level. When flowering, it has beautiful blue-purple flower spikes. One of the biggest conservation issues for this imperiled plant species is the lack of awareness of its existence and status. Avoiding or minimizing impacts to this species during road maintenance activities will effectively help to conserve its habitat and is unlikely to confer substantial impacts on road maintenance goals and projects.
Grand Mesa penstemon (Penstemon mensarum) is a tall, dark-blue-flowered plant in the Scrophulariaceae (Figwort Family) that is known only from the vicinity of Grand Mesa in Gunnison, Delta, Mesa, and Pitkin counties, Colorado. This distinctive species is not known from anywhere else in the world, and is considered to be imperiled at a global and state level. One of the biggest conservation issues for this imperiled plant species is the lack of awareness of its existence and status. Avoiding or minimizing impacts to this species during road maintenance activities will effectively help to conserve its habitat and is unlikely to confer substantial impacts on road maintenance goals and projects.
Brandegee wild buckwheat (Eriogonum brandegeei) is a mat-forming plant in the Polygonaceae (Buckwheat Family) that is known only from the Arkansas Valley in Fremont and Chaffee counties, Colorado, and is considered to be imperiled at a global and state level. One of the biggest conservation issues for this imperiled plant species is the lack of awareness of its existence and status. Avoiding or minimizing impacts to this species during road maintenance activities will effectively help to conserve its habitat and is unlikely to confer substantial impacts on road maintenance goals and projects.
Rabbit Ears gilia (Ipomopsis aggregata ssp. weberi) is a tall herbaceous plant in the Polemoniaceae (Phlox Family) that is known from north central Colorado in Grand, Jackson, and Routt counties, and is also found in northern Idaho and south central Wyoming and is considered to be imperiled at a global and state level. One of the biggest conservation issues for this imperiled plant species is the lack of awareness of its existence and status. Avoiding or minimizing impacts to this species during road maintenance activities will effectively help to conserve its habitat and is unlikely to confer substantial impacts on road maintenance goals and projects.
Bell's twinpod (Physaria bellii) is a small, yellow-flowered plant in the Brassicaceae (Mustard Family) that is known only from the Front Range in Boulder and Larimer counties, Colorado, and is considered to be imperiled at a global and state level. One of the biggest conservation issues for this imperiled plant species is the lack of awareness of its existence and status. Avoiding or minimizing impacts to this species during road maintenance activities will effectively help to conserve its habitat and is unlikely to confer substantial impacts on road maintenance goals and projects.
Pagosa bladderpod (Physaria pruinosa=Lesquerella pruinosa) is a small, rosette-forming, yellow-flowered plant in the Brassicaceae (Mustard Family) that is known only from two counties in southern Colorado and one county in northern New Mexico. Avoiding or minimizing impacts to this species during road maintenance activities will effectively help to conserve its habitat and is unlikely to confer substantial impacts on road maintenance goals and projects.
Round-leaf four o'clock (Oxybaphus rotundifolius) is a medium-tall plant in the Nyctaginaceae (Four o'clock Family) that is restricted to barren shale outcrops of the Smoky Hill Member of the Niobrara Formation in sparse shrublands or woodlands and is considered to be imperiled at a global and state level. One of the biggest conservation issues for this imperiled plant species is the lack of awareness of its existence and status. Avoiding or minimizing impacts to this species during road maintenance activities will effectively help to conserve its habitat and is unlikely to confer substantial impacts on road maintenance goals and projects.
Golden blazing is a tall plant, with thick stems, and attractive, 10-petaled bright yellow flowers. Golden blazing star is found primarily on the Smoky Hill member of the Niobrara shale, in the middle Arkansas Valley, in Fremont and Pueblo counties, Colorado, and nowhere else in the world. Golden blazing star is considered to be imperiled at a global and state level. One of the biggest conservation issues for this imperiled plant species is the lack of awareness of its existence and status. Avoiding or minimizing impacts to this species during road maintenance activities will effectively help to conserve its habitat and is unlikely to confer substantial impacts on road maintenance goals and projects.
The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) has determined that road construction and maintenance should avoid fen wetlands whenever practicable. Efficient implementation of this policy, however, has been hindered by a lack of comprehensive information on fens surrounding the Colorado highway network. To aid transportation planning, CDOT identified a need to better understand the distribution and extent of fens near Colorado highways. To this end, CDOT contracted Colorado State University and the Colorado Natural Heritage Program to map all potential fens near Colorado highways.
Seventeen globally imperiled plants found in oil and gas development areas in Colorado are in danger of extinction. Collectively, these species occupy less than 11,000 acres in Colorado. One of the biggest conservation issues for Colorado native plants is the lack of awareness of the existence and status of these rare plant species. Avoiding or minimizing impacts to these species during oil and gas development activities may help to effectively conserve their habitat and is unlikely to confer substantial impacts on oil and gas development projects.
Rollins' twinpod (Physaria rollinsii) is a small plant in the Brassicaceae (Mustard Family) that is known only from west central Colorado in Gunnison and Mesa counties, Colorado, and is considered to be imperiled at a global and state level. One of the biggest conservation issues for this imperiled plant species is the lack of awareness of its existence and status. Avoiding or minimizing impacts to this species during road maintenance activities will effectively help to conserve its habitat and is unlikely to confer substantial impacts on road maintenance goals and projects.
Pueblo goldenweed (̲Onopsis puebloensis) is a yellow flowered plant in the Asteraceae (Sunflower Family) that is known only from the Arkansas Valley in Pueblo and Fremont counties, Colorado, and is considered to be imperiled at a global and state level. One of the biggest conservation issues for this imperiled plant species is the lack of awareness of its existence and status. Avoiding or minimizing impacts to this species during road maintenance activities will effectively help to conserve its habitat and is unlikely to confer substantial impacts on road maintenance goals and projects. The Best Management Practices included in this document are intended to help increase the awareness of this species for o help increase the awareness of this species for anyone involved in road maintenance activities.
Good-neighbor bladderpod (Physaria vicina) is a small plant in the Brassicaceae (Mustard Family) that is known only from southwestern Colorado in Montrose and Ouray counties, and is considered to be imperiled at a global and state level. One of the biggest conservation issues for this imperiled plant species is the lack of awareness of its existence and status. Avoiding or minimizing impacts to this species during road maintenance activities will effectively help to conserve its habitat and is unlikely to confer substantial impacts on road maintenance goals and projects.
