Biodiversity Program
As an intergenerational trust, the State Land Board’s mission is to manage state trust lands to promote long-term ecological health and resilience, while generating revenue for Colorado's public schools. Our Biodiversity Program supports this mission by implementing projects and programs to restore, protect, and enhance the land’s natural systems, flora, and fauna, to create a more resilient and sustainable future for Colorado.
What is Biodiversity?
Biodiversity is the variety of life on Earth, encompassing everything from genes to entire ecosystems. The State Land Board’s Biodiversity Program is focused on natural systems, flora, and fauna.
By working with natural systems, these practices lead to a host of benefits, including:
- Improved Ecosystem Health: Enhancing the variety of life and ecological processes.
- Improved Water Quality: Healthy ecosystems filter water and maintain water cycles.
- Improved Carbon Sequestration: Diverse plant communities draw carbon from the atmosphere and store it, which helps mitigate climate change.
- Enhanced Resilience: Creating healthier ecosystems that are more resilient to disturbances like climate change and disease.
- Greater Economic Resilience: Improving the long-term productivity and viability of land management operations.
- Pollinator Support: Diverse habitats provide essential resources for pollinators, which are crucial for agricultural productivity and ecosystem health.
Our program supports these practices through education, partnerships, and innovative lease stipulations that incentivize land stewardship. We believe that by working together, we can create a legacy of healthy, productive lands that will benefit Colorado's schools and communities for generations to come.
Program Highlights
Preserve and Protect Biodiversity Hotspots: Identify and protect key areas of biodiversity on state trust lands including wetlands, riparian areas, rare plant communities, and wildlife migration and reproduction areas.
- Habitat Restoration: Restoring degraded habitats to sustain plant and animal habitat and ecosystem resilience.
- Invasive Species Management: Minimize the spread and impact of invasive species.
- Soil Health: Support and promote practices that improve soil health, increase water infiltration, and minimize runoff.
- Invertebrate and Pollinator Conservation: Support and promote practices that protect pollinators and enhance their habitats.
- Collaborative Partnerships: Working with state, federal, local, and not for profit partners to implement projects and leverage existing initiatives.
- Research and Surveys: Support biological research by providing permits for commissioning studies on state trust lands, and collaborate with Colorado Natural Heritage Program to identify and map occurrences of significant species and habitats.
- And much more!
Resources & Partners
- State Land Board Stewardship Action Plans
- Colorado Parks and Wildlife
- Colorado Natural Heritage Program
- Bird Conservancy of the Rockies
- Playas work for Colorado
- Colorado Native Plant Society
- Colorado Department of Natural Resources
Meet the Program Manager: Lindsey Brandt
Lindsey Brandt is the State Land Board's Biodiversity Program Manager. She collaborates with staff, lessees, stakeholders, and partners to implement on-the-ground stewardship projects that enhance habitat for important species and ecosystems. Her work will help advance the Land Board’s commitment to responsible land management and stewardship of diverse ecosystems statewide.
Reach out to Lindsey at lindsey.brandt@state.co.us