Management Proposals for the Uncompahgre and San Juan National Forests, Public Hearing Notice

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Wildlife The wildlife species indigenous to the East Section, are also present in this Section. No "rare" or "endangered" species have been identified. A mixture of small parks and meadows, open to dense forests, high open ridges and benches, provide a wide variety of wildlife habitat. Seven lakes and 80 miles of streams provide habitat for brook, native cutthroat and rainbow trout. This water and fisheries resource breaks in the following categories: Navajo Lake and 13 miles of stream are inside the Wilson Mountains Primitive Area and the contiguous roadless areas; The remaining 67 miles of stream and 6 lakes are located in other portions of the Section. Water The Wilson Mountains watershed contributes to the Dolores and San Miguel Rivers which are tributaries of the Colorado River. Water y ield from this Section is estimated at 310,000 acre -feet of water per year. There are three dams and several miles of water transmission ditches in the Section in addition to 0.25 mile of water transmissions inside the Primitive Area. A number of Federal Power Commission licenses are in effect in the Section, one of which is inside the _P m_tiv a. Several miles of power trans - i mission lines are associa with these FPC licenses. There are no water velopment structures, measuring devices, or Bureau ,i of Reclamation Withdra is in the areas considered suitable for Wilderness. Portions of F.P.C. L'cense #Z36__fall_ within area suitable for �+orness 1 n i ek Water management studies have determined that hydrologic designed tree harvesting in dense Spruce -fir types can increase water yield about (_30%. Forage Forage produced within the Section is utilized under permit by some 1,970 cattle and 22,480 sheep. Wood Forests cover 91,900 approximately 10,515 acres of which are within the Wilson Mountains Primitive Area, which have been excluded from the inventory upon which the allowable cut for the Uncompahgre is based. Within the contiguous roadless and undeveloped area are 13,770 acres which support spruce -fir and aspen ecosystems, 90% and 10% respectively; manage- ment of these lands has been deferred pending completion of the Primitive Area Review. There are 67,620 acres in the roaded and developed area, all of which is included in the inventory upon which the allowable cut has been calculated. -22-