Support for BLM Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring in Colorado

The Bureau of Land Management manages approximately 4,300 miles of streams within the state of Colorado. BLM is mandated to conduct land and aquatic resource health monitoring to document the effectiveness of decisions established in BLM Resource Management Plans. BLM contracted with PG Environmental (a division of ERG) to provide support for its aquatic Assessment Inventory and Monitoring program in Colorado. 

PG has supported BLM’s aquatic AIM program in Colorado since 2023, providing critical data to assess the health of the state’s rivers, streams, and wetlands. Over the past two years, PG completed 159 aquatic assessments across multiple BLM field offices, ensuring comprehensive monitoring of Colorado’s diverse and dynamic water resources. These assessments provide essential information for evaluating BLM Resource Management Plans, determining restoration treatment effectiveness, and assessing habitat conditions for aquatic and riparian species. PG’s field teams specialize in water quality and macroinvertebrate sampling, geomorphology assessments, riparian vegetation surveys, and streambank stability evaluations. Utilizing advanced GIS-based data collection tools such as Survey123 and ESRI FieldMaps, they ensure high-quality, spatially accurate data that inform BLM’s land and water management decisions. This work enables BLM managers to conduct statistical, geospatial, and trend analyses of the collected data to help answer key management questions, including: 

• Are Colorado’s rivers and streams meeting BLM land health standards?
• How are stream and wetland conditions changing over time?
• How effective are riparian restoration treatments and watershed management efforts?
• Are habitat conditions for species of management concern improving?
• What is the condition of aquatic resources that may be affected by proposed land use actions?