Thursday February 13, 2025
USFWS —
The Scott Matheson Wetland Preserve is located west of Moab, Utah, along the Colorado River and relies on flooding from the river to bring additional water onto it. In 1990, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) purchased this 875-acre preserve. The preserve supports the Razorback Sucker (Xyrauchen texanus), an endemic and federally endangered fish in the Colorado River Basin, that relies on its wetland for nursery habitat. Razorback Suckers, a species capable of living up to 40 years, have undergone basin-wide declines due to habitat loss and competition from non-native species. Biologists from the Upper Colorado River Recovery Program regularly stock this species in the Colorado River in an attempt to increase population numbers. The preserve is also home to over 200 species of birds, amphibians, and mammals that depend on its wetland, including Northern leopard frogs (Lithobates pipiens), a species of greatest conservation need (SGCN) in Utah, and multiple waterfowl species that provide hunting opportunities.
Historically, flooding events from the river regularly provided water to the wetland and created nursery habitat for Razorback Suckers. Recent drought conditions have made flood events less frequent with the last major flood occurring in 2011, and a smaller one in 2019. These floods were the last natural events that brought water onto the preserve. Historic land use modifications such as berms and dams further prevent floods from reaching the preserve. Thus, portions of the wetland are left dry, affecting the multitude of species that live on the preserve.