Open Space Advisory Board Agenda and Packet 2022 04 13

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LL Cityo Louisville PARKS, RECREATION & OPEN SPACE Memorandum To: Open Space Advisory Board From: Steve Roels, Senior Natural Resource Specialist Date: April 13, 2022 Re: Update Item 8: Regis University Coal Creek Biodiversity Surveys Purpose: The purpose of this item is to receive an update from Regis University regarding Coal Creek biodiversity. This is an informational update; no board action is required. Background: Staff contacted two Regis University professors, Drs. Michael Ghedotti and Kristofor Voss, in early 2021 to gauge their interest in using Louisville Open Space along Coal Creek as a study area. Dr. Ghedotti is an ichthyologist with expertise on freshwater fishes of the Plains region. Dr. Voss is a freshwater ecologist with expertise on benthic macro i nve rtebrates ("BMI"; e.g. aquatic insect larvae, crustaceans, and worms). The Open Space division had minimal information on the biodiversity of Coal Creek and sought insight into this locally significant biological community. Dr. Ghedotti, Dr. Voss, and their students sampled Coal Creek fish and BMI communities twice during the summer of 2021. They selected three study locations: the Coal Creek Golf Course near Dillon Rd., Dutch Creek Open Space, and CTC Open Space. Fish were identified on site and released. BMI were collected and returned to the lab for identification as part of a spring semester 2022 aquatic ecology course. After the Marshall Fire, a secondary research opportunity emerged. Having pre -fire baseline created a rare opportunity to directly study the effects of a large wildfire on the biota of a Front Range creek. A large portion of the upper Coal Creek watershed west of Superior burned. The golf course site was heavily burned, while the Dutch Creek and CTC sites were outside of the burn perimeter. Drs. Ghedotti and Voss successfully applied for a grant from the Boulder County Nature Association to fund post -fire sampling this summer. Next Steps: Open Space Division staff will continue to allow access to Regis University to surveys creek biota this summer. The data collected will allow for a comparison of fish and BMI communities pre- and post - fire in Coal Creek. Documents Attached: 1. Regis University presentation slides 23