Como Creek NEON - United States of America

Como Creek (COMO) is an aquatic NEON field site located in the Rocky Mountains in north-central Colorado, about 89 km (55 mi.) northwest of Denver. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service, this area has remained relatively undisturbed for the past 50 years with no development, logging, or fire in the 4.9 km2 (1211 acre) watershed. Snowmelt dominates the hydrologic and nutrient flux in this system. COMO is home to the threatened greenback cutthroat trout (*Oncorhynchus clarkia stomias*), which spawns in the creek, and thus walking in the stream is prohibited during certain times of the year. Willows line the stream bank and the canopy consists of aspen, spruce, and lodgepole pine. At COMO, NEON works alongside many other research parties including the Niwot Ridge Long Term Ecological Research Station and the Boulder Creek Critical Zone Observatory. COMO is part of NEON's Southern Rockies and Colorado Plateau Domain (D13). D13 has one other aquatic site and two terrestrial sites. COMO is colocated with the terrestrial site Niwot Ridge Mountain Research Station (NIWO).