Unaweep Seep Natural Area
Look across the highway at the lower hillside facing you. West
Creek has cut into the Unaweep Canyon floor exposing the water
table. Water seeps from the hillside and nurtures a luxuriant
biological community that science loves! A botanist sees this
bright green marshland looking like the tall grass prairie of
eastern Kansas, and other parts looking like a high mountain
wetland.
The shrubs “sound off” with nesting yellow-
breasted chats more coomonly found down
on teh Dolores River or with Stellar jays
that are seen and heard in the Douglas
Firs and Ponderosa Pine forest on the
plateaus above. Vireos, warblers, and
buntings nest abundantly here.
The mammals of this wetland
range from an abundance of
montane stirews and
jumping mice to
deer, elk and bear.
In every season there is life in the Seep. In July, the Colorado
State butterfly, the iridescent blue and black Colorado hairstreak
is common. Its quick movements are
visible in the oaks near the road. The
Seep establishes the northern known limits for the brush mouse and the
Fendler barberry bush. Species rare in
Colorado or worldwide that live here or
have put in appearances include:
bald eagles * peregrine falcons
willow flycatchers * winter srens
Nokomis Fritillary butterfly
sister butterfly * canyonland satyr butterfly
giant helleborine orchid
a rare alder/grass-like plant
community
The wide variety of plant and animal life at the Seep is a direct
result of the abundant water available here. Unaweep See is part
of a riparian ecosystem or green zone that is found along West
Creek and East Creek throughout Unaweep Canyon. In the
Canyon ecosystem, cottonwoods, willows and boxelders are the
dominant tree species. Riparian ecosystems in Colorado make up
less than 3 percent of the land base, but are used by over 90 percent
of the wildlife species in the state.
The craggy monolith and steep canyon walls on the skyline
above Unaweep Seep are made up of ancient rock dating back in
geologic time to more than a billion years. These Precambrian
granite and metamorphic rocks are some of the oldest rocks on
earth. These rocks create the spectacular walls of Unaweep
Canyon.
The splendor and richness of this site is tempered by major
hazards. Poison ivy is abundant through the Seep. Algae
growing on the rocks of West Creek make wading tricky, and the
soft muck on the opposite side of West Creek makes hiking
difficult in the Seep. Hiking along
the very narrow shoulder on the north side of Highway 141 is
strongly discouraged because of
the fast moving vehicles on the highway. Camping, fires, fireworks
and wood cutting are not permitted in the Seep. The Seep is
closed to ATVs and other mechanical conveyances.
Unaweep Seep is managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land
Management as a Research Natural Area in cooperation with the
Colorado State Natural Areas Program which has designated the
site as a Colorado State Natural Area.
[Picture captions]
Yellow Breasted Chat in
Fremont Cottonwood Tree
Brush Mouse
Westeria Jumping Mouse
Poison Ivy
Canada Burting(male & female
