| Chapter 2—Area Description and Resources11 |
describes the wildlife and species of concern found in these habitats. See appendix E for a list of species found in the project area.
Wetlands
Wyoming is an arid state and lacks the surface water needed to support expansive wetland complexes (Hubert 2004). Before Euro-Americans arrived, wetlands covered about 3.2 percent of Wyoming (Dahl 1990); however, less than 2 percent of the historical wetlands remain today (Wyoming Joint Venture Steering Committee 2010). Although wetlands cover only a small area, about 90 percent of the wildlife in Wyoming uses wetlands and riparian habitats during some part of their life cycles (Nicholoff 2003, Copeland et al. 2010a). Within the Intermountain West, more than 140 bird species and 25 mammal species are either dependent on or associated with wetlands (Gammonley 2004, Copeland et al. 2010a). Although wetland complexes tend to have greater overall use by wildlife (Wyoming Joint Ventures Steering Committee 2010), isolated wetlands in arid environments, such as many of the wetlands found on the Laramie Plains, are also extremely valuable for wildlife because they provide a crucial water source as well as needed food and cover. In these environments, wetlands are a hub of activity for the terrestrial wildlife that inhabits the surrounding area (WGFD 2010). However, Copeland et al. (2010a) found that wetlands within Wyoming’s desert shrublands and grasslands are poorly protected and therefore vulnerable, especially in the face of anticipated future land use changes.
Wetlands in the Laramie Plains consist of small ephemeral ponds, stock ponds, irrigated and nonirrigated meadows, playas, lakes, and riverine oxbows and floodplains. These different wetland types provide important breeding, staging, and stopover habitats for migrating waterfowl, shorebirds, and colonial waterbirds each spring and fall (Copeland et al. 2010b). Wetlands provide food-rich habitat so that these species can acquire the energy and nutrients needed to complete the long flights from wintering grounds to breeding grounds and back, as well as places to rest. Many bird species also use the wetlands in the Laramie Plains for breeding.
Many other wildlife species are dependent on these wetlands as well, including amphibians and reptiles. Amphibians, including the Wyoming toad and other species of toads, frogs, and salamanders, need water for breeding and larval development as well as to prevent desiccation. Reptiles such as garter snakes also prefer wetland habitats because they can feed on aquatic species.
Irrigated and Nonirrigated Meadows and Pastures
Privately owned wet meadow habitats are some of the most important unprotected wetlands in the Intermountain West. Since the early 1900s, flood irrigation has created many wet meadows in western North America (Peck and Lovvorn 2001). Irrigated wet meadows that are hayed and grazed annually (hay meadows) represent a particularly important subset of wetland habitat. These privately owned wetlands typically occur at mid- to high elevations (4,500 to 8,500 feet) in landscapes that are dominated by intact wetland, grassland, and shrub habitats. These areas are often made up almost entirely of native plant communities and can support high nesting densities of wetland- and grassland-nesting birds. These areas provide brood habitat for waterfowl and other waterbirds by supplying both protective cover from predators and productive foraging sites for rapidly growing ducklings and chicks. Wet meadows also provide crucial foraging habitat for migrating waterfowl and shorebirds. The quality and availability of spring migration habitat has direct implication for the survival and breeding productivity of migratory birds. The Laramie Plains provides important complexes of wet meadow, flooded pasture, and hayfields used by many species of waterfowl, shorebirds, and other waterbirds, including northern pintail, Clark’s grebe, white-faced ibis, American bittern, Wilson’s phalarope, American avocet, marbled godwit, long-billed dowitcher, and sandhill crane. The irrigated meadows and floodplain of the river are also believed, based on Baxter’s observations, to be important historical habitats for the Wyoming toad.
Riparian Areas
Riparian areas are vegetation communities that are immediately adjacent to and influenced by the hydrology of creeks, streams, and rivers. Riparian plant communities can be dominated by trees, shrubs, herbaceous vegetation, or a combination of these types. Riparian areas account for less than one percent of the western landscape, but they can be relatively more productive than other ecosystems (Svejcar 1997). Breeding bird densities can be up to 10 times greater in riparian areas than in adjacent, nonriparian habitats (Lohman 2004, Copeland et al. 2010). It is estimated that riparian habitat covers less than 2 percent of the State of Wyoming (Merrill and Fishery 1996).
Riparian habitats support high species diversity and density as well as promote the exchange of energy, nutrients, and species between riparian, aquatic, and upland systems (Johnson and McCor-
