The High Line Canal Natural Resources Management Plan: A Regional Collaboration
Susan Sherrod1*, Claudia Browne2, Josh Phillips3
1Biohabitats, Denver, CO, USA; ssherrod@biohabitats.com
2Biohabitats, Denver, CO, USA; cbrowne@biohabitats.com
3High Line Canal Conservancy, Centennial, CO, USA; josh.p@highlinecanal.org
Collaborative conservation for shared resource management presents a challenge of addressing diverse management goals around common priorities. The Natural Resources Management Plan (NRMP) for the High Line Canal (Denver, CO) provides cohesive guidance for an ecological, economic, and jurisdictional mosaic across 71 miles and 860 acres. The Canal was excavated in the legacy landscape of the Ute, Cheyenne, and Arapaho in 1883 to provide irrigation, leading to a novel aquatic and riparian system. Recreation along the canal further diversified community values. Irrigation was discontinued in the early 2020s and managers are now at a crossroads of how to steward their local Canal ecosystems moving forward. The NRMP was a collaboration among the managers of 14 jurisdictions and partner organizations, with guidance of Steering and Technical Advisor Committees. The resulting web-live plan identifies a spectrum of opportunities framed by locally diverse goals; addresses maintenance and enhancement of canopy, understory, and channel components; and defines expectations for future operations, communications, and Canal-wide collaboration.