Historic Wagon Trails Destroyed to Protect Grouse in Colorado

In the name of protecting and encouraging growth of the sage grouse in western Colorado, historic wagon trails from the 1800s are being destroyed.

Environmentalists and state and federal wildlife officials near Gunnison contend the wagon ruts were draining large wet meadows that were considered to be critical to the ecosystem and to the grouse, according to a report by E and E.

So they employed the use of stones stacked in the ruts to prevent the runoff of water. In the process, the wet meadows are being restored.

The work is the effort of the Bureau of Land Management, the Forest Service and Colorado Parks and Wildlife along with Nature Conservancy.