RESEARCH AND SYNTHESIS IN THE SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS, SOUTHWESTERN
COLORADO
NYDICK, KOREN (1), WILLIAMS, MARK (2), COOPER, DAVID (3), CHIMNER, ROD (4), RABY,
KIM (2)
(1) Mountain Studies Institute, Silverton, CO ; (2) Institute for Arctic and Alpine Research,
University of Colorado, Boulder, CO ;(3) Forest, Rangeland, and Watershed Stewardship,
Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO ;(4) Natural Resource and Ecology Laboratory, Fort
Collins, CO.
The San Juan Mountains are a geologically diverse, mid-latitude range that combines highelevations with a bimodal-precipitation regime (snowmelt and summer monsoon) and a high
radiation snow climate. The range is home to rare habitats (such as alpine fens) and species
(arctic mosses, relicts of the last ice age) and contains major biogeographic boundaries. The
headwaters of the Rio Grande, San Juan, Dolores, Gunnison, and Animas Rivers flow from the
San Juans and provide water for lowland communities in several states. Despite this importance
and uniqueness, the San Juans are relatively unstudied compared to other mountain ranges in
the United States.
The Mountain Studies Institute (MSI) is a research and education institution and high-altitude field
station established 2002 in Silverton, Colorado. MSI promotes, facilitates, and directly
participates in research efforts in the San Juan Mountains. Its core research program focuses on
three themes: 1) water and ecosystem function, 2) biodiversity and conservation, and 3)
synthesis and sustainability. A main goal of this program is to understand how human activity
alters natural ecosystems and to provide information to land managers, government officials,
educators, and the public. Current projects include “Water quality data for local decision support
system” and “San Juan fen inventory and assessment”. Plans for the future include expanded
study of fen health, carbon cycling, and hydrology; source water and flow path investigations;
GLORIA (Global Observation Initiative in Alpine Environments) site implementation in
collaboration with the Center for Snow and Avalanche Studies, and State of the San Juans
Ecosystem Assessment and Forecasting for Sustainability.