Human Impacts on the
Colorado Life Zones
Vocabulary
1) Consequence
- The result or effect of an action
2) Ecology
- The study of how living organisms and non-living
elements are inter-connected
3) Fragmentation
- To break habitat up into pieces
4) Indirect Effect
- A result of an action that is not obvious at the
time, or is the result of a chain reaction
4) Exotic Species
- A plant or animal that moves into an area where it
did not evolve to live. This happens when certain
conditions change to make it possible.
Rules of the Web of Life:
1) Everything and everyone is connected
together.
2) All of our actions have consequences for
other members of the web.
Balance
Human Needs &
Wants
Consequences
to Our
Environment
Colorado Life Zones
Alpine
11,500 +ft.
Sub alpine
10,000 – 11,500 ft.
Montane
8,000 – 10,000 ft.
Foothills
5,500 – 8,000 ft.
Plains
3,500 – 5,500 ft.
Riparian
Q: Why do we live in a dry environment?
East
West
x
A: Rain Shadow Effect
Thinking question: Where does our water come from?
Human Impacts on the Prairie
 Changes to wildlife habitat
 Air quality
 Water quality
Changes to the Land
Need: Housing
Consequence:
Loss of
farmland &
wildlife habitat
Need: Jobs & Homes
Consequence: Water & air pollution
Need: Transportation
Consequence: Fragmented
wildlife habitat
How Does Agriculture Effect
the Prairie?
Oil
Land Changes
Transportation
Need: Food
Water
Feedlots
 What is an indirect effect of
growing food ?
Water Quality
Farm chemicals can move into
streams by erosion.
Food chain effects of water pollution.
The pollution cycle
What is the lesson ??
We need to make sure our waste is disposed of correctly
and safely !!!
Air Quality
Smog
Consequences
 Pollution builds up in
atmosphere – brown cloud
 It doesn’t disappear –
it can fall or rain out of
the atmosphere onto
forests, lakes, streams
 Human health problems
Human Impacts in
Riparian Areas
 Changes to stream environments
 Water quality
 Fish & wildlife habitats
Dams
Dams have destroyed many
Riparian systems in the United
States, and in the world.
Why do we need dams?
Grand Ditch
Horsetooth Reservoir
Are there consequences to moving water from rivers
to reservoirs?
Human Impacts in the
Foothills & Montane
 Changes to wildlife habitat
 Increased Fire Risk
 Invasive plants species
Threats To The Foothills
When people start building houses in the foothills it pushes
out animals that use to live there.
Can you think of any other problems new houses cause?
Wildfire in the
Foothills & Montane
How do we balance human safety & keeping
environment healthy?
Human Impacts on the
Subalpine and Alpine
Ski Resorts
Snowmobiles
Pets
Humans
Livestock Grazing
Tough Problems Need
Creative Solutions !!
Tough Problems Need Creative Solutions!
Habitat Corridors
Plants that like dry weather
Create New Wetlands
Here’s some more simple
solutions…….
Ride a bike instead
of taking the car !
Reuse & Refill!
Recycling
H2O Purifiers
Use Non-disposable
containers
Important Lessons:
1) Human activity can affect our
environment in many different ways.
2) Sometimes, the effects of our actions
are hard to see.
3) Human needs & wants should be
BALANCED with environmental
consequences.
4) There are always things we can do to
prevent or make less impact on the
environment!