Project Summary:

Great Ecology has been part of several projects within the Central Park planned community, formerly known as Stapleton, located on the site of the former Denver International Airport. These projects have included a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment, park and open space planting plan support, biological surveys, and remediation of a 27-acre pond site. Great Ecology also developed and executed an adaptive management plan for a 60-acre non-irrigated, stormwater detention basin, along with the creation of vegetation, soil erosion, and wildlife monitoring protocols. We conducted monthly site visits to provide management recommendations and monitored the revegetation projects, including for prairie dog and state-listed noxious weed encroachment with recommendations for management and removal of these species.

As part of our support of the site planting plan, we implemented soil testing to inform plan development and continued management recommendations. The revegetation efforts have primarily been no- to low-irrigation plantings of a mix of cool and warm season grasses and forbs, which provides aesthetic appeal. The Central Park North open spaces project, developed by Civitas with ecological support from Great Ecology, was awarded the 2017 ASLA-Colorado merit award for Water-Resilient Park Design.