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the fact that the remains were mined, and further broken-up and disarticulated, I (Curator of Paleontology) don't believe much further paleontological work can be conducted at this locality." Minerals The BlM holds a 25,070-acre withdrawal on lands within the Gunnison Gorge (23,791 acres Federal surface/Federal minerals; 1,279 acres private surface/Federal minerals). This withdrawal segregates the lands from operation of the general mining laws. That is, no locatable mineral developments are permitted on these lands. Energy and mineral resources that may occur in the study area include coal, precious and base metals, clays, and sand and gravel. The Grand Mesa, Paonia-Somerset, and Tongue Mesa coal fields are adjacent to this area. Precious metals may occur as placers near Cedar Flats. Sand and gravel occurs along the Gunnison River and its tributaries. The Gunnison Gorge WSA, which is included in Alternatives 1 and 2 for expanding the monument boundary, contains no known mineral deposits, with only a few mineralized areas. United States Geologic Survey Bulletin 1715, addressing the mineral resource values of the study area states there are subeconomic resources of gypsum in the Wanakah formation and coal in the Dakota sandstone. The entire area has low mineral and energy resource potential for copper, gold, lead, zinc, silver, uranium, and geothermal. There is no potential for oil and gas. Soils The study area includes stony loam Torriorthent soils of variable depth and sandstone rock outcrop along the steep canyon sideslopes. The more gentle slopes above the canyon have shallow, loamy Kech and Lazear and moderately deep, loamy Progresso soils along with sandstone rock outcrop. The adobe hills west of the gorge are composed of bare Mancos shale outcrop and shallow, silty clay loam soils on the hills with deep alluvial, silty clay loam soils in the drainages. Most of the soils in the adobes are highly saline. Natural erosion rates are high for most of the soils in the area due to steep slopes and sparse vegetation cover. Water Resources The Gunnison River, which is the most prominent water resource in the study area, is a tributary of the Colorado River, which it joins near Grand Junction, Colorado. The Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) administers a series of dams and reservoirs upstream of the Gunnison Gorge. BOR tries to maintain a minimum flow of 300 cubic feet per second (cfs) through the Gunnison Gorge. During both the summers of 1983 and 1984, flows approached 10,000 cfs through the Gunnison Gorge due to higher than normal spring- summer runoff. A portion of the current stream flows in the Smith Fork and Crystal Creek (Red Canyon) are diverted for irrigation purposes. Springs within the study area are fairly rare, and 10