Colorado Renewables and Conservation Collaborative

The Colorado Renewables and Conservation Collaborative (CRCC) is an informal group of representatives from the renewable energy industry and the conservation community whose common purpose is to constructively and proactively address conservation concerns related to renewable energy development in Colorado.

The CRCC developed a science-based site selection and mitigation framework that describes avoidance, minimization, and/or mitigation actions appropriate to a range of environmental impacts that have a nexus with wind energy development. Learn more about the CRCC and how this tool was developed...

Best Management Practices (BMPs)

The BMPs are science-based and address high-priority Colorado resource concerns. They are widely applicable to diverse projects in various settings in Eastern Colorado. They are also flexible enough to allow multiple approaches for conservation and mitigation actions associated with wind energy development specific to individual development projects. The BMPs must be accompanied by scientific surveys for the user to both understand unique site conditions and to successfully implement BMP measures.

The CRCC encourages the use of these BMPs by prospective wind energy developers, non-government stakeholders, landowners, and government agencies in all phases of siting wind projects.

Priority Resource Concerns in Colorado

Review the following list and select one or more resources that may affect your potential site. Some resources (marked with an *) are found in all counties of Colorado; therefore, they are automatically selected. Click on a map to enlarge and view the counties where the resource occurs. When finished, hit the Continue button to download the GIS shapefiles and the Best Management Practices PDFs.

Playa Lakes Joint Venture, one of the CRCC partners, provides hosting for this online tool. The maps and documents are maintained and updated by CRCC.

Map of Colorado

Bats*

COUNTIES AFFECTED:  All counties — Adams, Alamosa, Arapahoe, Archuleta, Baca, Bent, Boulder, Broomfield, Chaffee, Cheyenne, Clear Creek, Conejos, Costilla, Crowley, Custer, Delta, Denver, Dolores, Douglas, Eagle, El Paso, Elbert, Fremont, Garfield, Gilpin, Grand, Gunnison, Hinsdale, Huerfano, Jackson, Jefferson, Kiowa, Kit Carson, La Plata, Lake, Larimer, Las Animas, Lincoln, Logan, Mesa, Mineral, Moffat, Montezuma, Montrose, Morgan, Otero, Ouray, Park, Phillips, Pitkin, Prowers, Pueblo, Rio Blanco, Rio Grande, Routt, Saguache, San Juan, San Miguel, Sedgwick, Summit, Teller, Washington, Weld, Yuma

DOWNLOAD SIZE:  182 KB
Map of Burrowing Owl Activity

Burrowing Owl

COUNTIES AFFECTED:

DOWNLOAD SIZE:  Adams, Alamosa, Arapahoe, Baca, Bent, Boulder, Broomfield, Cheyenne, Conejos, Costilla, Crowley, Delta, Denver, Douglas, Eagle, El Paso, Elbert, Garfield, Grand, Gunnison, Huerfano, Jackson, Jefferson, Kiowa, Kit Carson, La Plata, Lake, Larimer, Las Animas, Lincoln, Logan, Mesa, Moffat, Montezuma, Montrose, Morgan, Otero, Ouray, Park, Phillips, Prowers, Pueblo, Rio Blanco, Rio Grande, Routt, Saguache, San Miguel, Sedgwick, Washington, Weld, Yuma

DOWNLOAD SIZE:  4.28 MB

Fragmentation

This map was created with remotely sensed data that has an accuracy of 75%. In addition, native riparian areas may be represented as modified, this is a known error in the map.

COUNTIES AFFECTED:  Adams, Arapahoe, Baca, Bent, Boulder, Broomfield, Cheyenne, Crowley, Custer, Denver, Douglas, Elbert, El Paso, Fremont, Huerfano, Jefferson, Kiowa, Kit Carson, Larimer, Las Animas, Lincoln, Logan, Morgan, Otero, Phillips, Prowers, Pueblo, Sedgwick, Teller, Washington, Weld, Yum

DOWNLOAD SIZE:  11.73 MB
Map of Greater Prairie-Chicken Activity

Greater Prairie-Chicken

COUNTIES AFFECTED: Kit Carson, Logan, Morgan, Phillips, Sedgwick, Washington, Yuma

DOWNLOAD SIZE:  3.2 MB
Map of Lesser Prairie-Chicken Activity

Lesser Prairie-Chicken

COUNTIES AFFECTED:  Baca, Cheyenne, Kiowa, Prowers

DOWNLOAD SIZE: 2.75 MB
Map of Mountain Plover Activity

Mountain Plover

COUNTIES AFFECTED:  Adams, Alamosa, Arapahoe, Baca, Bent, Boulder, Broomfield, Chaffee, Cheyenne, Clear Creek, Conejos, Costilla, Crowley, Custer, Delta, Denver, Douglas, Eagle, El Paso, Elbert, Fremont, Gilpin, Grand, Gunnison, Huerfano, Jackson, Jefferson, Kiowa, Kit Carson, Lake, Larimer, Las Animas, Lincoln, Logan, Mesa, Moffat, Morgan, Otero, Park, Phillips, Pitkin, Prowers, Pueblo, Rio Blanco, Rio Grande, Routt, Saguache, Sedgwick, Summit, Teller, Washington, Weld, Yuma

DOWNLOAD SIZE:  4.36 MB
Map of Playa Complexes

Playa Clusters

COUNTIES AFFECTED:  Adams, Arapahoe, Baca, Bent, Cheyenne, Crowley, Douglas, Elbert, El Paso, Kiowa, Kit Carson, Larimer, Las Animas, Lincoln, Logan, Morgan, Otero, Phillips, Prowers, Pueblo, Sedgwick, Washington, Weld, Yuma

DOWNLOAD SIZE:  4.1 MB

The Playa Lakes Joint Venture partnership continues to improve siting guidance based on the latest science. The playa cluster map and BMP were updated in March 2017.
Map of Colorado

Prairie Passerines and Other Migratory Birds*

COUNTIES AFFECTED:  All counties — Adams, Alamosa, Arapahoe, Archuleta, Baca, Bent, Boulder, Broomfield, Chaffee, Cheyenne, Clear Creek, Conejos, Costilla, Crowley, Custer, Delta, Denver, Dolores, Douglas, Eagle, El Paso, Elbert, Fremont, Garfield, Gilpin, Grand, Gunnison, Hinsdale, Huerfano, Jackson, Jefferson, Kiowa, Kit Carson, La Plata, Lake, Larimer, Las Animas, Lincoln, Logan, Mesa, Mineral, Moffat, Montezuma, Montrose, Morgan, Otero, Ouray, Park, Phillips, Pitkin, Prowers, Pueblo, Rio Blanco, Rio Grande, Routt, Saguache, San Juan, San Miguel, Sedgwick, Summit, Teller, Washington, Weld, Yuma

DOWNLOAD SIZE:  221 KB
Map of Colorado

Raptors*

COUNTIES AFFECTED:  All counties — Adams, Alamosa, Arapahoe, Archuleta, Baca, Bent, Boulder, Broomfield, Chaffee, Cheyenne, Clear Creek, Conejos, Costilla, Crowley, Custer, Delta, Denver, Dolores, Douglas, Eagle, El Paso, Elbert, Fremont, Garfield, Gilpin, Grand, Gunnison, Hinsdale, Huerfano, Jackson, Jefferson, Kiowa, Kit Carson, La Plata, Lake, Larimer, Las Animas, Lincoln, Logan, Mesa, Mineral, Moffat, Montezuma, Montrose, Morgan, Otero, Ouray, Park, Phillips, Pitkin, Prowers, Pueblo, Rio Blanco, Rio Grande, Routt, Saguache, San Juan, San Miguel, Sedgwick, Summit, Teller, Washington, Weld, Yuma

DOWNLOAD SIZE:  180 KB
Map of Rare Plant Communities

Rare Plant Communities

COUNTIES AFFECTED:  Adams, Arapahoe, Baca, Bent, Boulder, Broomfield, Cheyenne, Crowley, Custer, Denver, Douglas, Elbert, El Paso, Fremont, Huerfano, Jefferson, Kiowa, Kit Carson, Larimer, Las Animas, Lincoln, Logan, Otero, Phillips, Prowers, Pueblo, Sedgwick, Teller, Washington, Weld, Yuma

DOWNLOAD SIZE:  317 KB
Map of Sharp-tailed Grouse Activity

Sharp-tailed Grouse

COUNTIES AFFECTED: Douglas, Las Animas, Logan, Morgan, Weld

DOWNLOAD SIZE:  3.19 MB

Wetlands*

All counties — Adams, Alamosa, Arapahoe, Archuleta, Baca, Bent, Boulder, Broomfield, Chaffee, Cheyenne, Clear Creek, Conejos, Costilla, Crowley, Custer, Delta, Denver, Dolores, Douglas, Eagle, El Paso, Elbert, Fremont, Garfield, Gilpin, Grand, Gunnison, Hinsdale, Huerfano, Jackson, Jefferson, Kiowa, Kit Carson, La Plata, Lake, Larimer, Las Animas, Lincoln, Logan, Mesa, Mineral, Moffat, Montezuma, Montrose, Morgan, Otero, Ouray, Park, Phillips, Pitkin, Prowers, Pueblo, Rio Blanco, Rio Grande, Routt, Saguache, San Juan, San Miguel, Sedgwick, Summit, Teller, Washington, Weld, Yuma

DOWNLOAD SIZE:  146 KB

The GIS data for wetlands are not available through this site, only the BMP. To download GIS data, visit the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service National Wetlands Inventory website. For more information or questions, contact Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Colorado Natural Heritage Program, The Nature Conservancy or Playa Lakes Joint Venture.

 

Background This website was made possible by a grant from the Wildlife Conservation Society's Wildlife Action Opportunities Fund. Partners in states throughout the Southern Great Plains worked together to develop a science-based site selection and mitigation framework that describes avoidance, minimization, and/or mitigation actions appropriate to a range of environmental impacts that have a nexus with renewable energy development. The collaborative organization working in each state reached consensus on a set of species and ecosystems/habitats that may be impacted by wind development and drafted best conservation practices for them. Final determinations on species and habitats to include in the framework were made based on the scientific merits of the nexus between renewable energy and the species or ecosystems of concern.