Bonny Lake State Park is a former state park located in
Yuma County,
Colorado near
Hale.
Created in 1966 and closed in 2011, Bonny Lake was the easternmost
state park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...
in
Colorado.
History
In September and October 2011, Bonny Reservoir was drained and the park was permanently closed. The former park is now being operated as part of the South Republican River State Wildlife Area.
Wildlife
More than 300 different species of birds were seen in the park, including
bald eagle
The bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), which occupies the same niche as ...
s there are also many species of waterfowl over the winter months that including green-wing teal, widgeon, pintails, mallards, wood ducks, blue-wing teal, Canada geese, snow geese, and sandhill cranes. Mammal species found in the park include
beaver
Beavers are large, semiaquatic rodents in the genus ''Castor'' native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. There are two extant species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers ar ...
,
cottontail rabbit,
coyote
The coyote (''Canis latrans'') is a species of canis, canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the wolf, and slightly smaller than the closely related eastern wolf and red wolf. It fills much of the same ecologica ...
, deer (both
mule deer and
white-tailed deer),
jackrabbit,
muskrat
The muskrat (''Ondatra zibethicus'') is a medium-sized semiaquatic rodent native to North America and an introduced species in parts of Europe, Asia, and South America. The muskrat is found in wetlands over a wide range of climates and habitat ...
,
opossum
Opossums () are members of the marsupial order Didelphimorphia () endemic to the Americas. The largest order of marsupials in the Western Hemisphere, it comprises 93 species in 18 genera. Opossums originated in South America and entered North ...
,
raccoon,
thirteen-lined ground squirrel, and
weasel.
References
External links
South Republican State Wildlife Area website
{{Protected Areas of Colorado
Protected areas of Yuma County, Colorado
Protected areas established in 1966