Colorado State University
OP-11: Biodiversity

CSU’s Shortgrass campus is officially called the Central Plains Experimental Range (CPER), and houses the Shortgrass Steppe Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) program. It is located within the Pawnee National Grassland, which is a Federally administered National Grassland in Weld County, Colorado. The LTER Program researchers inventory and study the species of wildlife and vegetation that inhabit the National Grassland. CSU researchers collect and inventory data on species of arthropods, birds, mammals, microarthropods, nematodes and plants. Certain long term research projects have been ongoing for more than 30 years.

The Central Plains Experimental Range (CPER) has served as a key research site for livestock grazing and rangeland ecosystem dynamics/structure in the western Great Plains since it was established in 1937. The CPER exemplifies ongoing challenges faced by semiarid rangelands around the world to simultaneously manage for both ecosystem goods (e.g., livestock production) and services (e.g., biodiversity, wildlife habitat, carbon storage, greenhouse gas mitigation, hydrological functions) in a changing climate. Our current conceptual framework views climate, disturbance regimes, and physiography as the key interacting factors that structure population and community processes, and influence ecosystem productivity, states and services. Current research experimentation is addressing production-conservation issues and associated tradeoffs with beef production when other ecosystem services are incorporated into management objectives. The CPER has a >70 year history of research on vegetation and livestock including key datasets encompassing: 1) aboveground forage production, 2) livestock weight gains, 3) climatological data, 4) soil carbon, 5) carbon and trace gas fluxes, 6) rainfall simulation experiments, 7) climate change (elevated atmospheric CO2 and increased temperatures), and 8) remote sensing with high resolution (<10 mm) aerial images. Specifics methodologies for identification and assessments in this environmentally sensitive area can be found in the field manuals online at: http://digitool.library.colostate.edu/R/?func=collections-result&collection_id=4549

The shortgrass prairie environment is a unique place that is critical habitat for a range of species from the microscopic in the soil to the small mammals that live in the grasses to the raptors that soar overhead. In addition, the shortgrass prairie itself is considered a sensitive habitat with unique soil and flora characteristics. The CPER conducts research experiments looking at this vast array of critical species and habitat including: Raptors Migratory birds Prairie dogs Swift fox Spiders Insects Soil Food Webs Nematodes Climate/Weather issues (droughts, climate change, etc.) Grassland Anthropods Short Horned lizards Grass & other plant species unique to shortgrass prairie Small mammals (Kangaroo rats, mice, etc.) Species List: http://sgrc.colostate.edu/research/common-species-lists/ For a complete listing of the experiments conducted at CPER : http://sgslter.colostate.edu/ars/ExistingProjects.asp

The facilities master plan has a long-standing commitment to integrating natural vegetation buffers around waterways and bodies of water (including lakes, streams, and irrigation ditches). These projects often include community pathways and trail networks throughout the Fort Collin's area.

Note that all of CSU Master Plan documents are at the website listed above. Rather than providing a link to a specific document, we provided a link to this more general page, so the most recent versions of the Master Plans can be found.