Wet meadows in the gunnison basin of colorado are a critical brood rearing habitat for the ground dwelling bird the gunnison sage grouse centrocercus minimus which is listed as threatened under the…

Wet meadows in the gunnison basin of colorado are a critical brood rearing habitat for the ground dwelling bird the gunnison sage grouse centrocercus minimus which is listed as threatened under the endangered species act the sage grouse require a large contiguous area of sagebrush artemisia SPP for cover year round and wet meadow and riparian ecosystems where they feed their young in the summer regions within southwestern colorado historically occupied by wet meadows have been severely degraded by human activities resulting in head cuts, erosion, lowered water tables, soil compaction by trailing from livestock and wildlife, development of roads, and encroachment of invasive species these impacts can decrease the food supply of chicks and potentially affect chick survival restoration of these wet meadows has led to an increase in plant productivity which is a primary source of organic matter and c to the soil however, little is known about whether restoration in these watersheds has led to increases in soil moisture and c storage limiting our understanding of these ecosystems resilience to climate change and their ability to mitigate climate change through soil carbon sequestration