In Colorado, no single state agency is responsible for wetlands, but many agencies and organizations have their own plans that either specifically address wetland protection, regulation, and management or involve wetland and aquatic resources indirectly. The intent of this WPP is to tie together the priorities, goals, objectives, and actions embedded in existing state plans, and identified through the development of this WPP, into one comprehensive document. The agencies involved in the aforementioned plans explicitly support the development of a multi-agency WPP and recognize the benefits of having a consolidated wetland plan.
Colorado's boundaries encompass some 66.6 million acres, or over 104,000 square miles. Within this area, the type and extent of natural vegetation is determined by many factors, including elevation, climate, soils, disturbance patterns, and the ecological history of the landscape. Each change from lowland plain to mountain range to broad valley creates both habitat opportunities and barriers for plant species. The heterogeneity of the landscape provides the setting for a diversity of plant communities not possible in more uniform regions.
