Aiken Canyon Preserve

Fires From the dendrochronology of a cross-section examination of Ponderosa Pine Trees (Pinus ponderosa), it was found that between the years of 1602 and 1999 there were over 20 fire incidents at Aiken canyon preserve. There were also "five fire years including 1753, 1839, 1859, 1892 and 1933". The finding of gold within the Front Range area early 19th century lead to the establishment of Denver city in Colorado which then created mailing service popularity. The frequent mailing services then lead to the establishment of railroads such as the Kansas Pacific, Union Pacific, Denver Pacific Railway and Telegraph Company and the Denver and Rio Grande Railway. The expansion of these railroads near Aiken Canyon brought cattle ranching to the area as it was common for cattle to be sold to the gold miners in exchange for gold. This construction and agriculture expansion increased the rangeland area burning for better cattle fodder. The areas are burned to maneuver the cattle into better vegetative patches of land to exclude the already used up grasslands. This cycle of occurrences caused the majority of the historical fire instances. Further information received from the tree skeleton plots and fire-scarring also indicated evidence of short intervals of fire re-occurrence which were more than double for the periods of 1872 to 1935, Fire suppression methods such as logging and controlled burning were not common in Colorado until after 1910 which was speculated to be the result of the Great fire of 1910. These suppression methods were only practical when a Civilian Conservation Corps was formed in 1935 which enabled conservation jobs nearby at the canyon. Volunteer programs are still used by the Nature Conservancy to maintain the park lands and reduce potential fire and weed hazards. and served as an educational facility for the public, students and researchers. The station was mainly utilised by a staff group of 15 individuals who managed the conservancy of the land. The field station was set for demolition and then reconstruction towards the end of September 2016 due to mould pollutants in the structure from hay insulation. It was decided to leave demolished with funding not being reinstated as the Nature Conservancy had limited resources towards the project and re-establishment. == Attractions ==

Hiking trail The main hiking trail at the Aiken Canyon preserve is a loop that has a high point elevation of and the lowest descent of . The trail is described as starting at an information kiosk which then at drops down near the creek bed, it then turns right at which leads to a junction section near cabin ruins at . The lookout area is then reached at , after that the trail returns to a looping section at which then returns to the beginning at about . "The trail is used by hikers, runners, bird watching groups and field trips in the area". Nature educational programs The Nature Conservancy at Aiken Canyon Preserve host multiple educational opportunities for children, visitors and researchers; these programs are usually available during the summer with an approximate of 12 school groups each year. There is also a close relationship between the conservancy and nearby colleges who may need to use the preserve for research and other purposes. == Biology and ecology ==

The environmental coverage between the north side of Palmer Divide and the higher slopes of the Rampart Range created an ecological system of grass and woodland in Aiken canyon. The biological communities at the canyon reside near the Beaver Creek area which provides a protected and sheltered area for plants, organisms and animals to grow and repopulate. Flora The flowering season at Aiken Canyon ranges between the end of May and June. There are two main rare plant communities within the canyon region, such includes the Piñon pine group as well as Juniperus monosperma. Other inhabiting plants also include Achnatherum (scribner needlegrass) and the Quercus gambelii (gamble oak). Pollination of flowers at Aiken Canyon are mainly performed by solitary bees, which are bees that act alone rather than in communities. During the observational study of pollen in flowers at the canyon, it was found that more pollen was removed by insects such as bees than in any other surrounding areas. This was indicated by researchers where the pollen counts from the day after were 73% less than what it was previously at. It was found that saplings in the Aiken Canyon region are at a higher reproduction rate due to the partial shaded areas where 80% of sample plant seedlings showed this preference. Aiken Canyon Preserve was ranked as number 41 on the ‘very high biodiversity significance’ category within preservation areas of El Paso County. This is due to the area having a 'A-ranked' global ranking in dependent on land species such as the two-needle pinyon (Pinus edulis) and mountain mahogany shrubland (Muhlenbergia montana). Efforts such as environmental management programs have been put into place by the conservatory to minimise such effects on the land and ecosystem. Threats towards the fauna life in Aiken Canyon Preserve include cowbird parasitism, habitat disturbance and possible development conflicts from surrounding areas. Habitat disturbance is a threat to the preserve as its adjacent land and private land within the canyon are still possible for construction development. This proposal was then denied in 2018 by the state board as the construction would have effected the clean drinking water in the area. The Nature Conservancy is trying to develop a conservation outline to work with current private property owners to reduce future environmental threats. == Weather ==

During a 20-year observational research period between 1978 and 1998, it was found that average daily precipitation rate was at which was half the average of surrounding mountain ranges. The daily average measured temperature within the month of June was at with a range of difference of 0.1 °C. The pollen count within the Aiken Canyon region was found to be on average 16,622 grains within a range of difference to be 1142 grains. == References ==