For decades, gases from car exhaust and cow waste have drifted from Colorado’s Front Range to harm plants, fish and wildlife in Rocky Mountain National Park, and while a decades-long effort to slow the damage is working, it’s not moving as quickly as environmentalists hoped. Nitrogen and ammonia, largely generated by heavy traffic along the Front Range and by agriculture in Larimer and Weld counties, are carried by air currents to the highest elevations of the treasured national park and deposited by rain and snow onto sensitive alpine tundra, where thin soil and delicate plants struggle to buffer the pollution. If the contamination worsens, wildflowers could disappear and algae could bloom in alpine lakes, changing the waters’ look and endangering fish, scientists told The Denver Post. “This issue gets worse as you go up in elevation as the sensitivity gets higher,” Jim Cheatham, an environmental protection specialist with the National Park Service’s air resource division, said during a recent meeting with Colorado’s Air Quality Control Commission. Over time, the excess nitrogen — largely from vehicle exhaust — acts as a fertilizer to plants and changes the ecosystem, said Jill Baron, a research ecologist for the U.S.
How Front Range Cow Waste And Car Exhaust Are Hurting Rocky Mountain National Park’s Ecosystem
Noelle Phillips, Denver Post
Sun, 09/08/2024 - 5:00am
Topics: denver post jim cheatham national park service s jill baron u.s geological survey university you re rocky mountain national park baron it s united states rocky mountain s ammonia rocky mountain national park initiative s nitrogen deposition milestone report environmental defense fund trout unlimited u.s environmental protection agency public health sept dairy farmers scientists jeffrey collett jr csu all agriculture bonnie laws preserving beef sometimes farmers related articles glacier creek east ute trail west ute trail historic estes park tram there megan mccarthy catching earth those mile high roundup colorado front range rocky mountain national park nitrogen larimer weld this cheatham national park service air quality control commission baron the aug rocky mountain national park initiative in environment association farmers rocky mountain collett some hike week cow waste car exhaust park s ecosystem pollution reduce years emissions increased change people pristine storm producers ways cattle effort livestock mountains counties presentation haze created lakes department pollutants fertilizer amount snow plants beauty recorded oxides wet resource working efforts heavy algae practices damage presented including federal tundra highest alpine ecologist pen research rain elevations changing largely generated excess fish feed cleaning pollutant creating upslope icons severe operation number senior parks began ozone project goal early kilograms protected latest form region areas
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Members of our Community Editorial Board, a group of community residents who are engaged with and passionate about local issues, respond to the following question: For decades, gases from car ...
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09/12/2024 - 8:44 am | View Link - How Front Range cow waste and car exhaust are hurting Rocky Mountain National Park’s ecosystem
If the contamination worsens, wildflowers could disappear and algae could bloom in alpine lakes, changing the waters’ look and endangering fish, scientists told.
09/8/2024 - 1:03 am | View Link - More
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