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the roads. With WOSA, they could be expected to lose an addi- tional 3 days per year. The mineral losses could be made up by overtime work, but cost to the mining operation will be higher. Most of the timber logged in the target area is on National Forest land. The timber areas to be cut are appraised, adver- tised, and sold at auction by the Forest Service of the U.S. De- partment of Agriculture. In appraising the standing timber, the Forest Service considers market price and operating cost so that the timber operator can make a fair profit. The operating cost allowance is re-evaluated every six months based on detailed (and confidential) cost data from the operators. If WOSA in- creases operating costs, the appraisal values will be lowered, so that the effect of WOSA on the cost of logging is eventually absorbed by the Federal government. More snow benefits skiing only if it allows a longer season. WOSA could lead to a good snow base for skiing as much as 3 weeks early. If this made Christmas skiing possible, WOSA would prevent a disastrous year; it if made Thanksgiving skiing possible, the season could be highly profitable for the ski operators. . Hunting, fishing, and summer recreation depend on the length of the season between the disappearance of the snowpack in the spring and the onset of snowstorms in the fall. However, family camping and similar recreation activities are tied to the summer vacation period, which seems to be safely within the snow-free period, even with WOSA. Sheepmen and cattlemen lease government lands in the target areas for summer pasture. The animals winter in sheltered valleys and are taken to higher pastures by degrees as the earlier grasses in the lower pastures are grazed over. Much of the low- land pasture is irrigated. The higher average snowpack of WOSA will increase the runoff and improve the lowland pas- tures, permitting prolonged grazing at lower elevations. The prospect of more and better grass in lowland pastures should more than offset any loss due to the shorter summer pasture season in the high mountains. 45 ECONOMIC EFFECTS I i I , EconomIc Effects of an Augmented Snowpack in the Upper Basin THE HIGH mountain areas that will receive significant amounts of additional snow are mostly National Forest land interspersed with a number of isolated towns. Lead, zinc, gold, silver, and molybdenum are mined in the mountains; the Englemann spruce, which grows at high altitudes, is the most important timber source in Colorado; high meadows are used as summer pasture; skiers, hunters, fishermen, hikers, and tourists all visit the mountains; some towns also'serve passing travelers. All of these activities take place under natural snowfall conditions that vary greatly from storm to storm and from year to year. WOSA will tend to create more heavy snowfall days and more winters of heavy snowpack. The economic effect of WOSA could be severe for those activities that depend for their profitability on years of light snowfall. More Snow WOSA would be expected to affect mining in the Colorado Mineral Belt, both because of the greater seasonal accumula- tion of snow and the heavier snowfall from individual storms. Mineral prospecting will be curtailed by a longer period of snowcover. Mines worked only in summer may have a shorter season. Extra snowpack may increase the risk of mine flooding. For mines that are operated year-round, snow ~emoval costs for above-ground facilities will increase. In the San Juan moun- tains, miners lose 5-6 days of work per year because snow closes 44 The Effects of ...