Wetland Profile for the Lower Gunnison Subbasin

  • The wetland profile below describes general geography of the Lower Gunnison Subbasin, the extent of wetland mapping, and the acreage of various wetland classes mapped by National Wetland Inventory.
  • To view this area in the Colorado Wetlands Inventory Mapping Tool, Click Here

  • River Basin Geography

  • Total Area: 1,065,360 acres (4,311 square kilometers)
  • Elevation Range
    • Max: 3,409 meters
    • Min: 1,387 meters
    • Average: 2,141 meters
  • Ecoregions
    • 20: Colorado Plateaus: 69%
      • 20b: Shale Deserts and Sedimentary Basins: 28%
      • 20c: Semiarid Benchlands and Canyonlands: 41%
    • 21: Southern Rockies: 31%
      • 21e: Sedimentary Subalpine Forests: 6%
      • 21f: Sedimentary Mid-Elevation Forests: 19%
      • 21g: Volcanic Subalpine Forests: 5%
  • Land Ownership
    • Total Federal Land: 74%
      • Bureau of Land Management: 41%
      • Total U.S. Forest Service Lands 33%
        • Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests: 33%
    • Total State Lands < 1%
      • Colorado Division of Wildlife: < 1%
    • City, County, and Other Local Government Lands: < 1%
    • Land Trusts and Non-Governmental Organizations: None
    • Tribal Lands: None
    • Private Lands: 25%

  • Wetland Extent and Classification

  • Extent of basin mapped by wetland/riparian mapping projects
    • Digital NWI Mapping: 2% of unit
    • CPW Riparian Mapping: 60% of unit
    • Potential Fen Mapping: 5% of unit
  • Total area of NWI mapped wetlands: 425 acres
  • Percentage of basin mapped as NWI wetland: 2%
  • Wetland area by NWI System and Class
    • Palustrine Emergent: 19 acres
    • Palustrine Scrub-Shrub: 84 acres
    • Palustrine Forested: 1 acres
    • Palustrine Aquatic Bed: 2 acres
    • Palustrine Unconsolodated Shore/Bottom: 20 acres
    • All Lacustrine: 0 acres
    • All Riverine: 298 acres
  • Extent of wetland acres with NWI special modifiers
    • Percent excavated: 11%
    • Percent dammed: 1%
    • Percent ditched/drained: None
    • Percent farmed: None
    • Percent modified by beaver: None
  • Wetland landscape integrity
    • Percent of unit in No Discernable Stress: 19%
    • Percent of basin in Low Stress: 46%
    • Percent of basin in Moderate Stress: 13%
    • Percent of basin in High Stress: 7%
    • Percent of basin in Severe Stress: 16%
  • Disclaimer: Basin, subbasin, and county wetland profiles are calculated for the area mapped by National Wetland Inventory (NWI). All percentages and acreage estimates are only for the area mapped. If the entire area of interest is mapped by NWI, these estimates reflect the entire area of interest. If only a portion is mapped, these estimates do not reflect the entire area. For more information about NWI’s Cowardin classification system, click here. For information about NWI mapping standards, click here.