Trees are coming down at Barr Lake State Park in Adams County, though the people who care for the land and wildlife there have been involved in the process.

“This is a magical place. It’s one of the top birding places in Colorado,” Tammy VerCauteren, the executive director for the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, said.

The park is leased by Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) and is the headquarters for the conservancy, which is currently tracking birds’ fall migrations. But the Farmers Reservoir & Irrigation Company (FRICO) built the reservoir and owns the water rights.

According to VerCauteren, the wet Colorado spring contributed to a rising water level, causing a breach.

“That water level puts limits on things — and dams and dikes that hadn’t been there before,” said CPW’s Michelle Seubert, the manager of the park. “Our job as a park ranger and as the park manager at Barr Lake is to protect the resources, but also public safety.”

Because of the water level, FRICO determined there was a need for mitigation along the shoreline.

“They have a certain cutoff point that we have identified,” Seubert said.

The nature center, the wildlife refuge and the banding station, where the conservancy studies birds, are all off limits, Seubert added.

“We walked the site with staff from FRICO and with Michelle, and we just got a better understanding of why they need to do this, how they’re doing it. And then, we engaged in conversations on how we could minimize the footprint,” VerCauteren said.

“We’ll continue to work with Colorado Parks and Wildlife and make sure our shared knowledge and technical expertise in conservation are coming to solutions for the work that they’re doing.”

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