Niwot Ridge was designated a
UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1979 and was one of 17 reserves in the United States withdrew from the program in June 2017. The
Niwot Ridge Long-Term Ecological Research Site was established in 1980 as a
United States Forest Service experimental ecology reserve. Habitats include western
spruce-fir forest,
lodgepole pine (
Pinus contorta)
subalpine forest,
alpine meadows as well as
ponderosa pine (
Pinus ponderosa)
shrubland. The site is little influenced by human impact and is thus an excellent site to monitor biological, chemical, and physical responses to changes in
atmospheric chemistry and climate. The site is administered cooperatively by the
U.S. Forest Service and the
University of Colorado Boulder's
Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR) for experimental and long-term studies of
alpine tundra. and has been used to study the role of subalpine forests in cycles of water, carbon, nutrients, and energy. Substantial increases in nitrogen deposition during the past three decades are one of the major concerns and have already impacted biological processes in the alpine tundra and surrounding catchment areas. Educational programs in the biosphere reserve focus primarily on the university level but also include high schools and the general public. == Climate ==