Riparian zones are the interfaces between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
As ecotones, they encompass sharp gradients of environmental factors, ecological processes, and plant communities. Riparian zones are not easily delineated but are composed of mosaics of land forms, communities, and environments within the larger landscape. Colorado is the headwaters for five major rivers with each having multiples of smaller tributary rivers. The Colorado which ends up in the Baja Gulf of the Pacific Ocean. North Platte which flows north into Wyoming turns east and then southeast joining the South Platte at North Platte, Nebraska.