Upper Goose Creek is a Wildlife Corridor Worth Fighting For
Megan Thomson
Emelia Decker
Map of Upper Goose Creek Wildlife Corridor, Boulder, CO
Our community
Welcome to The Edgewooders, a passionate community-driven environmental initiative in Boulder, Colorado, advocating for the preservation of the precious Upper Goose Creek Wildlife Corridor. While our roots lie along Goose Creek, our cause extends far beyond our immediate neighbors, encompassing community members city-wide who share a common goal: protecting our environment.
Our Collective Mission:
The Edgewooders are committed to safeguarding the Upper Goose Creek Wildlife Corridor, a unique natural habitat stretching from 19th Street to 24th Street. Our mission is:
1. Environmental Preservation: The Edgewooders are dedicated to safeguarding the delicate ecosystems within the Upper Goose Creek Wildlife Corridor, recognizing its intrinsic value to biodiversity and overall ecological health.
2. Community Engagement: Edgewooders seek to engage and unite the broader community, extending our mission beyond geographical boundaries. We believe that the preservation of the corridor is a collective responsibility that involves individuals city-wide.
3. Advocacy for Sustainable Solutions: Through informed dialogue and collaboration with the City of Boulder, we advocate for alternative flood mitigation plans that prioritize both community safety and the conservation of the wildlife corridor. Our goal is to find solutions that mitigate risks without compromising the integrity of this vital natural space.
About the Issue:
The current flood mitigation proposal, outlined in the "Goose Creek and Twomile Canyon Creek Flood Mitigation" plan by the City of Boulder, specifically addresses UGC Reach 6. As Edgewooders, we seek to collaboratively rethink and modify this section to align with our vision for a comprehensive flood mitigation plan that does not compromise the integrity of the corridor.
Please join The Edgewooders to stop the City from implementing UGC Reach 6. Please help prevent the destruction of this very special habitat.
If Section UGC Reach 6 of the flood mitigation plan is implemented as currently proposed, it will:
- Destroy more than 200 mature trees, encompassing a diverse array of 9 species, such as crack willow, green ash, and cottonwood trees. The corridor boasts one of the longest contiguous tree canopies within the Boulder city limits, outside of Boulder Creek. The loss of these majestic trees will not only alter the landscape but also disrupt the delicate ecological balance that these interconnected species maintained.
- Damage the continuous and connected pathway of diverse habitats in the corridor. The current corridor enables bees to access various sources of nectar, pollen, and nesting sites, promoting their overall health and reproductive success.
- Widen Upper Goose Creek to a 28' channel (at the bottom of the channel) from 19th Street to 24th Street to mitigate a 100-year flood risk. The current channel is 10’ at its widest.
- Disrupt critical habitats for more than 100 bird species, including iconic ones like the Great Horned Owls. A recent study, detailed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, unveils a disheartening truth: nearly 3 billion birds have vanished from our skies since 1970. The findings expose across-the-board declines, a phenomenon that scientists can only describe as nothing short of "staggering," underscoring the urgent need for concerted conservation efforts to safeguard the rich tapestry of avian life.
- Allow excess water to be funneled into Upper Goose Creek from Twomile Canyon Creek. There are two alternatives for this in "TCC Reach 4", either at 19th Street or 24th Street (the Floral Drive alternative).
What We are Asking of the City of Boulder
- Foremost, continue to look at alternatives to how “UGC Reach 6” is implemented, including putting the 100-year conveyance overflow of the two creeks under Edgewood Drive (known as the "under-Edgewood Drive solution") and not channelizing Upper Goose Creek, but leaving it in a natural state.
- In addition to the under-Edgewood Drive solution, also selecting the Floral Drive alternative in "TCC Reach 4" for conveyance of Twomile Canyon Creek. This will reduce capacity in Upper Goose Creek by 20%. Both of these choices are necessary for protecting the wildlife corridor.
- Commit to the community that no public access will be added in this protected corridor, because of:
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1. Biodiversity Conservation: Goose Creek Wildlife Corridor is home to diverse and fragile ecosystems that support a wide range of plant and animal species. Human activities can disrupt these ecosystems, leading to habitat destruction, introduction of invasive species, and disturbance of sensitive species, all of which can result in loss of biodiversity.
2. Species Protection: Goose Creek Wildlife Corridor provides critical habitat for endangered or threatened species. Allowing human access can lead to increased disturbances, poaching, or unintentional harm to these vulnerable species, further endangering their survival.
3. Natural Processes: The undisturbed wildlife corridor plays a vital role in maintaining natural processes such as predator-prey interactions, plant-pollinator relationships, and nutrient cycling. Human presence can alter these processes, leading to imbalances in the ecosystem.
4. Scientific Research: Wildlife areas serve as important sites for scientific research and study. Keeping these areas off-limits to humans ensures that researchers can study ecosystems and species without interference, leading to more accurate and valuable findings.
5. Restoration and Recovery: Some wildlife areas are designated for ecosystem restoration or recovery efforts. Human activities can hinder these processes by introducing pollutants, disturbing habitat, or interfering with natural succession.
6. Climate Change Mitigation: The Goose Creek Wildlife Corridor can act as a carbon sink, absorbing and storing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Human activities, such as deforestation and habitat destruction, can release stored carbon back into the atmosphere and contribute to climate change.
7. Preserving Wilderness: Some areas are designated as wilderness zones to ensure the preservation of untouched landscapes for future generations. This allows future generations to experience nature in its purest form and helps maintain the intrinsic value of wild places. Boulder has an absence of these places.
- Conduct a thorough Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the Upper Goose Creek Wildlife Corridor between 19th Street and 24th Street that assesses the potential effects of the proposed development on wildlife, ecosystems, and the overall environment. This assessment should be transparent, science-based, and involve public input and needs to be made public.
- Form a City Liaison Committee, one that includes Brandon Coleman, Engineering Project Manager and Angela Urrego, Communications Senior Project Manager, to work with impacted homeowners. This committee should be prepared to fully answer direct questions from the community on the engineering of “UGC Reach 6.” There also needs to be people from the city who can help citizens understand our legal rights as property owners, including questions of property damage mitigation, property devaluation, use of eminent domain, ingress and egress.
What You Can Do to Help
Just some of the wildlife...
1921 Tyler RD
- Fawn
- Big buck
- Cooper Hawk
2248 Edgewood DR
- Foxes in UGC Corridor
- American Goldfinch
- Great Horned Owl
2242 Edgewood DR
- Bobcat in snow
- Blue Heron
- A foot of snow
1931 Tyler RD
- Swallowtail Butterfly
- Dragonfly
- Kids in the Long Grass
