Nymph Lake, Rocky Mountain NP, Colorado, USA Photograph by Yen-Wen Lu   Central North America: Western central United States Temperate Coniferous Forests   51,200 square miles (132,700 square kilometers) -- slightly larger than Alabama Relatively Stable/Intact

· Rocky Mountain High
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Rocky Mountain High

The highest mountains of the Rockies dominate this massive ecoregion, which is known as one of the best places in America to see wildlife such as elk, bighorn sheep, and mule deer. Here you will find Colorado's most pristine forests, with great stands of bristlecone and ponderosa pines, Douglas fir, and aspen. The forests are interspersed with beautiful mountain meadows and hundreds of lakes, small streams, and rivers.

Special Features

The overall elevation of this ecoregion is extremely high and reaches heights greater than any other part of the Rockies. Fire, avalanches, and wind are the major sources of natural disturbance in a mix of habitats ranging from mountain meadow and alpine tundra communities to conifer forests and foothill grasslands.

	Boreal owls were first spotted in the Colorado Rockies in the 1970s! As their name suggests, boreal owls are found in northern coniferous forests. The Colorado Rockies population is thought to be an isolated relict from the more northern populations.

Wild Side

The Colorado Rockies Forests are teeming with life, both great and small. While mountain lions prowl through the snow in search of deer and elk, martens scurry like tightrope walkers across high tree branches in pursuit of squirrels and boreal owls pursue voles through coniferous forests. Black bears live among old growth stands of pine, fir, and aspen and meadows of colorful summer wildflowers. High in the mountains, alpine tundra systems are some of the most extensive in the United States.

Cause for Concern

The great beauty of the Rocky Mountains has drawn humans for centuries. Unfortunately, homebuilding and downhill ski resort development are now expanding into higher elevation habitats, while the roads that are built to accommodate this development are rapidly destroying lower elevation habitats. This development is particularly harmful in disrupting the movements of herds of elk and bighorn sheep. In addition, this ecoregion has been under threat from logging, hard-rock mining, oil and gas development, domestic livestock grazing, introduction of exotic species, and pollution from the Denver area. Lynx and wolverines are rare or even extinct in the region. Grizzly bears and wolves were hunted out decades ago.

For more information on this ecoregion, go to the World Wildlife Fund Scientific Report.