The development of a golf course at the Telluride Ski Area in the late 1980s and early 1990s resulted in the unpermitted filling of more than 70 acres of wetlands.  A settlement between the US and Telluride Ski and Golf Company resulted in the design and implementation of 17 different wetland restoration projects in golf course.   We worked cooperatively with the US EPA and Telluride S&G to design, built and monitor these wetland restoration efforts.  These are among the most successful wetland restoration projects I have been involved with or seen anywhere in the US.  The overall goals were to reconnect streams through the golf course, and to restore groundwater discharge locations and the wetlands associated with them.  Projects focused on hydrologic restoration, installing native clonal plant species and willows, and monitoring the success of these efforts.  Most project were completed 12-15 years ago, but monitoring continues to evaluate the long-term successes of the project from hydrogeologic and vegetation perspectives. Projects include the restoration of streams and their riparian zones, fens, and wet meadows.  Below are three top to bottom time sequences of (left) restoration of stream/beaver ponds, riparian zone that required removal of 18 feet of fill and golf fairway, and removal of former reservoir and restoration of stream and riparian zone.

Dr. Stephanie Gaucherand from IRSTEA in Grenoble, France spent a year at CSU working with me to evaluate the success of these restoration efforts.  Papers are forthcoming.