Exploring phenology in Frisco was interesting due to the rapid expansion that the town has undergone. Frisco, like many other towns in Colorado, started out as a small local town. With the expansion of ski resorts and rising popularity of skiing these towns have begun to get a lot of visitation, for example, Frisco’s neighbor Breckenridge goes from a population of 4,000 locals to 50,000 during spring break. With visitation on this scale these towns, including Frisco, have had to spread out and have consumed many of the mountain valleys. This has destroyed habitat, ski resorts themselves are also quite bad for the local habitat. Another part of the natural history in this area is the presence of cows. Cows are known to degrade prairie landscapes because the natural area has not evolved to support them.
In comparison to Frisco, Centennial Woods in Burlington, Vermont experienced a similar land-use history. From what I can tell, Vermont is a generation or two ahead of Colorado. This is in terms of conservation and green planning/development. Just as Vermont experienced massive deforestation and habitat loss during the 17 and 18th centuries Colorado experienced this population boom a century later. Ski resorts and government officials alike are beginning to realize the ecological drawbacks that have occurred. Although it is hard to compare these areas ecologically, the aforementioned common theme of land use that was a comparison that stuck out to me.
Due to the natural history of the area, I did not see many bird species. I was able to notice the Black-capped Chickadee by its sound. It is my state’s bird so I am used to hearing it. I was also lucky to see a downy woodpecker while skiing in the backcountry near Leadville, Colorado.
Throughout my entire time in the mountains, I was only able to recognize a massive abundance of fir and spruce trees. After doing research on the Colorado State Forest Service Website I was not able to narrow down any species. The trees seemed to be in good condition with full needles and few dead ones.
Frisco