WMOD00432 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

of activity would be minor, a.nd vehicles used similar to those bei ng used by the pub 1 icon the same roadways, there woul d be no significant impact to the local traffic. The minor amounts of increased precipitation from the limited research program would not have a significant effect on snow on the highway over Grand Me sa . 9. Recreation Recreational use of high forest lands on Grand Mesa is increasing. For exampl e, in 1980 there WE!re approximately 900,000 recreational visits in the Grand Mesa National Forest compared to 513,000 in 1970. Winter recreation has had the most significant increase. Late sLlTlmer and fall recreat'ion l s curtail ed because many of the lakes are drawn down to provide water for irrigation, which dimi- nishes the fishery, esthetic, and recreational values during periods of normally greatest recreation needs. Summer recreation consists of sightseeing, hiking, camping, fishing, and picnicking. Oeer and elk hunting take ~ace in the fall. Snowmobiling and cross-country skiing are principal winter activities. Powderhorn, a day-use ski area partially on National Forest land, is near the town of Mesa, about 35 miles east of Grand Junction. There is a network of unpaved National Forest roads on Grand Mesa; however, in winter, because of heavy snow, the only public access is Highway 65 and most winter use takes place adjacent to the highway. Weekends are the time of highest recreational use at any season. Fishing opportunities are very good on some of the natural lakes and stable reservoirs on Grand Mesa, and are poor on the shallow or fluctuating reservoirs. Ice fishing is a minor winter acti- vity. Mule deer and elk are the most important wildlife from the recreational hunting standpoint. Hunting opportunities are pro- vided for black bear but this is a relatively insignificant acti- vity. IJpl anti game birds do not inhabit the higher elevations of Grand Mesa; hunting for waterfowl also occurs at lower elevations. '" Impacts. - Major program activities would occur during the Oecember-January-February period, after the principal recreation and hunting and fishing seasons are over. Since only two days of a week (weekends) receive almost all of the winter recreational activity, and no program work is performed on Sundays and Saturday work is usually limited, there would be minimal conflict with recreation and the program activities. ~ 10. Esthetics Types of equi pment di fferent from that al ready in lIse for the cl i- matological studies would be AgI generators and a specially 21