Biology at Beaver Creek:

The Beaver Creek Watershed is a natural ecological laboratory, providing habitats for a wide diversity of flora and fauna. The 1625 m elevation gradient within the watershed supports a variety of vegetation types, including ponderosa pine montane forest (37%), pinyon-juniper woodlands (38%), desert shrubland (20%), desert grasslands (4%) and riparian vegetation (< 1%) (Figure 1).

Vertebrate and plant diversity in the BCW is high, and reflects the total biological diversity the watershed supports, including invasive species (Table 1). While the taxanomic master list is not yet entirely complete, it includes those species' ranges that fall within the Beaver Creek Watershed, according to the USGS Southwest Regional GAP land cover and animal habitat models.

             
By exploring the links above and below, you can learn more about the species composition of the Beaver Creek Watershed, as well as view maps depicting the known range of specific species. In addition, a comprehensive list of downloadable publications detailing biological investigations conducted in the Beaver Creek Watershed provides additional information on the organisms that inhabit this diverse watershed.


Table 1. Vertebrate and plant diversity in the Beaver Creek Watershed (based on USGS SW ReGAP)