John Martin Reservoir State Park

John Martin Reservoir State Park
A view of the dam, near one of the park's campgrounds.
Map showing the location of John Martin Reservoir State Park
Map showing the location of John Martin Reservoir State Park
LocationBent County, Colorado, USA
Nearest cityLas Animas, CO
Coordinates38°04′29″N 102°55′50″W / 38.07472°N 102.93056°W / 38.07472; -102.93056
Area13,176 acres (53.32 km2)
Established2001
Visitors293,698 (in 2021)[1]
Governing bodyColorado Parks and Wildlife

John Martin Reservoir State Park is a state park in Colorado.[2] It contains John Martin Reservoir, which is the second largest body of water in Colorado by capacity.[3] It is also known for being a prime birdwatching location.[4] Bent County, Colorado has been documented to have over 400 different species of birds.[5] The namesake reservoir of the park is created by a 118-foot tall (36 m) and 2.6-mile long dam (4.2 km), which goes by the name of John Martin Dam.[6]

Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials released thirty black-footed ferrets into a prairie dog colony in the nearby Southern Planes Preserve in 2022.[7]

  1. ^ "Colorado State Parks Region Annual Visitation Report" (PDF). Colorado Counties, Inc. 2023.
  2. ^ "John Martin Reservoir Home - Colorado State Parks". Archived from the original on July 23, 2009. Retrieved July 23, 2009.
  3. ^ Jay (March 26, 2014). "Esoteric Adventures: Eastern Colorado Water Adventures". esotericadventures.blogspot.com. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  4. ^ Dumas, Tyler (January 12, 2024). "Nearly 80 bald eagles spotted in one day during survey at southeast Colorado reservoir". KRDO. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  5. ^ http://parks.state.co.us/NR/rdonlyres/498DD8FA-6959-49BA-AB27-382049664EF7/0/JM_Birdlist2313.pdf[permanent dead link]
  6. ^ "John Martin Reservoir State Park". www.sangres.com. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  7. ^ Molseed, Megan (October 22, 2022). "One of North America's Rarest Mammals Released into State Park by Colorado Wildlife Officials". Outsider. Retrieved October 23, 2022.