User:YenOfVengerberg/sandbox

Fires
From the dendrochronology of a cross-section examination of Ponderosa Pine Trees (Pinus ponderosa), it was found that between the years of 1602 and 1999 there were over 20 fire incidents with 5 fire years at Aiken canyon preserve.

These occurrences were suggested to be from railroad expansion and cattle ranching within the area between 1872 and 1935 as well as changing weather patterns.

The finding of gold within the Front Range early 19th century lead to the establishment of Denver city in Colorado which created mailing service popularity. The frequent mailing services then lead to the establishment of railroads such as the Kansas Pacific, Union Pacific, Denver Pacific Railway and Telegraph Company and the Denver and Rio Grande Railway. The expansion of these railroads near Aiken Canyon brought cattle ranching to the area as it was common for cattle to be sold to the gold minors. This construction and agriculture increased the rangeland area burning for better cattle fodder which was the main cause for the historical fire instances.

The El Niño-Southern Oscillation has also been shown to have contributed to fire anomalies at the Aiken canyon area sometime in the 19th century which was "related to enhanced meridional circulation imposed by a strong latitudinal temperature gradient".

Further information received from the tree skeleton plots and fire-scarring also indicated evidence of short intervals of fire re-occurrence which were more than double, this is known by researchers to contribute to environmental damage as it does not allow growth and expansion of species and vegetation.

Fire suppression methods such as logging were not common in Colorado until 1910 which was associated to the Great fire of 1910. These methods were only practical when a Civilian Conservation Corps was formed in 1935 which enabled conservation jobs nearby at the canyon.

Field station
Aiken canyon preserve had a field station as of 1996, it was a 1,700 square foot (158 square meters) building and served as an educational facility for the public, students and researchers.The station was mainly utilised by a staff group of 15 individuals who managed the conservancy. The field station was set for demolition and then reconstruction towards the end of September 2016 due to mould pollutants in the structure from hay insulation. It was decided to leave demolished with funding not being reinstated as the Nature Conservancy had limited resources towards the project and re-establishment

Hiking trail
The main hiking trail at the Aiken Canyon preserve is a 4 mile (6.4 km) loop that has a high point elevation of 1298 miles (2,089 m) and the lowest descent of 1219.7 miles (1,963 m). The trail is described as initially starting through a dry creek area which then follows through to open grass land, under trees and finally to the overlook point which is then looped back around

Flora
The environmental coverage between the north side of Palmer Divide and the higher slopes of the Rampart Range created an ecological system of grass and woodland in Aiken canyon. The biological communities at the canyon reside near the Beaver Creek area which provides a protected area for plants and organisms.

The flowering season at Aiken Canyon ranges between the end of May and June. There are two main rare plant communities within the canyon region, such includes the Piñon pine group as well as Juniperus monosperma. Unexpected plants in the area include Ipomoea leptophylla (bush morning-glory) and Penstemon brandegei (Brandegee’s Penstemon) Other inhabiting plants also include Achnatherum (scribner needlegrass) and the Quercus gambelii (gamble oak).

The main threat to the flora ecosystem at Aiken canyon is invasive noxious weed overgrowth. Such effects have been acknowledged by researchers such as Susan Donaldson, which show that noxious weeds are capable of overwhelming native plants by tactics such as overshadowing for sunlight, consuming more nutrition from water and soil as well as accelerated growth in comparison.Efforts such as environmental management programs have been put into place by the conservatory to minimise such effects on the land and ecosystem. Examples of these programs are seen in a weed extraction handbook from the conservancy where recommendations include manual approaches such as pulling or stabbing and more mechanical processes such as flooding, tilling, soil solarization, mulching and girdling

Fauna
Aiken Canyon Preserve provides habitat for numerous wildlife in its surrounding vicinities. Such includes black bear, mule deer, Rocky Mountain elk, mountain lions, bobcats, grey foxes, badgers and tuft-eared pine squirrels14  as well as over 100 species of birds such including the common Poorwill, Cordilleran Flycatcher, Juniper Titmouse, Verginias Warbler, MacGillivrays Warbler and the Western Tanager. Among the common species known in the area include the estimated habitat for the endangered Mexican Spotted Owl as well as the natural heritage of two species of butterfly Dusted skipper and the Simius roadside skipper. Aiken Canyon Preserve was also ranked as number 41 on the ‘very high biodiversity significance’ category within preservation areas of El Paso County because of its’ shrub and woodland areas that house endangered species of plants and animals. Threats towards the animal life in Aiken Canyon Preserve include cowbird parasitism, habitat disturbance and possible development conflicts from surrounding areas. Cowbird parasitism is a main threat to the bird species within the canyon area as the chicks are known to roll or push out the other bird eggs which decreases the native population.

Weather
During a 20-year observational research period between 1978 and 1998 it was found that average daily precipitation was 44mm which was half the average of surrounding mountain ranges. The daily average measured temperature within the month of June was 18.4 C with a range of difference of 0.1 C. The pollen count within the Aiken Canyon region was found to be on average 16622 grains within a range of difference to be 1142.

Sources I want to include on this page
Fire history of the Aiken Canyon grassland-woodland ecotone in the southern foothills of the Colorado Front Range

Survey of Critical Biological Resources, El Paso County, Colorado.

Variation in floral longevity between populations of Campanula rotundifolia (Campanulaceae) in response to fitness accrual rate manipulation.

Longtime protectors of Aiken Canyon Preserve saying goodbyes with field station demolition.

Aiken Canyon Preserve Hiking Trail, Fort Carson, Colorado.