Arikaree River (ARIK) is an aquatic NEON field site located in the central plains of Northeastern Colorado. It has a large watershed size of 2631.8 km2 (650,332 acres), and the land is managed by The Nature Conservancy. The area is sensitive to invasive plant species and disturbance, and NEON works with The Nature Conservancy to maintain Arikaree’s tall-grass prairie and diverse bird community. In the winter, Arikaree River is a free-flowing stream and dries into standing pools in the summer. The site is part of NEON's Central Plains Domain (D10). D10 has three terrestrial field sites and one other aquatic field site. ARIK is not colocated with a terrestrial site.