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 In
order to protect, restore and connect ecosystems in the Southern
Rockies, SREP is working on the ground with local groups, agencies,
citizens, policy makers and all levels of government. Through our
partnership in the
Southern
Rockies Conservation Alliance (SRCA), we are working
closely with 26 conservation groups by providing scientific information
and
technical assistance, as well as SREP staff time and expertise.
SREP's work is part of a larger continental-scale initiative, directed by the Wildlands Project to protect wildlife and their habitat along the Spine of the Continent - North America's wildest and best-known geographic feature - running 5,000 miles from Mexico to Alaska through the deserts, canyons, and highlands of the continent. SREP is one of the 10 steering committee members focused on implementing large-scale conservation along the Spine. Our work on wildlife connectivity all contribute to this grander vision. SREP's focal project within the Spine of the Continent, is working to reconnect I-70 at Vail Pass for a suite of native species. See a larger view of the new map of the Spine of the Continent here.
As an organization, SREP is filling a critical niche by focusing on restoring landscape connections, an important and overarching goal of our organizational vision. Through our Linking Colorado's Landscapes project and our Colorado Wildlife on the Move campaign we have forged unique partnerships with transportation and insurance agencies, businesses, engineers, and state agencies. Our efforts to construct Colorado's first wildlife bridge just west of Vail Pass is a unique and monumental on-the-ground effort that will literally restore habitat over I-70 in the White River National Forest. SREP is working to protect our public lands through cooperative efforts with local groups. Through GIS assistance, map making, and ecological analyses we are providing assistance to important local conservation plans and projects. SREP is helping to guide priority-setting for new projects and assisting groups in their campaign work. Currently, SREP is working with two local groups around Colorado Springs - the Central Colorado Wilderness Coalition and the Upper Arkansas South Platte Project - to support the designation of new wilderness areas in this region and to refine the Wild Connections Conservation Plan for the Pike and San Isabel National Forests. We are also working in the Grand Mesa, Uncompaghre and Gunnison
National Forest (GMUG) through a collaborative project called
Mountains to Mesas, as well as in the San Juan National Forest on
the
Wild San Juans project. For more information on our public lands protection efforts, please click here.  |
