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A mountain valley in Rocky Mountain National Park shows willow collapse. Dead and broken stems fill the foreground, short grasses cover the valley floor, and conifer slopes rise toward snowcapped peaks in the distance.
Willow collapse in the Kawuneeche Valley at Rocky Mountain National Park. Dense thickets of tall willows that once dominated the valley have been reduced to short, overbrowsed shrubs and open grasslands.

E. W. Schweiger

[New] Rapid Riparian Decline in Rocky Mountain National Park: Understanding the Loss—and Pathways for Restoration (added 09/18/2025):

Summarized from Rapid riparian ecosystem decline in Rocky Mountain National Park by D. J. Cooper, E. W. Schweiger, J. R. Shaw, C. J. Westbrook, K. Kaczynski, H. Abouelezz, S. M. Esser, K. Nydick, I. de Silva, R. A. Chimner.

Elk herd grazing in a grassy meadow under cloudy skies.
Elk herd in a meadow at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve during the ungulate management plan baseline period (2016–2019)

NPS

[New] Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve: Ungulate Use and Wetland Condition in the Ungulate Management Plan Baseline Period (2016–2019) (added 08/22/2025):

Schweiger et al. 2025. Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve: Ungulate Use and Wetland Condition in the Ungulate Management Plan Baseline Period (2016–2019). Science Report. NPS/SR—2025/258. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado.

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    Last updated: September 18, 2025

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