Los Pinos River Recomendations - Laserfiche WebLink

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RECREATION OPPORTUNITY The river corridor provides an array of wilderness recreation opportunity and • activities. Direction for receation use and activities are provided by the management prescriptions of the Forest Land and Resource Management Plan. Most of the river corridor is in management area 8C. About 4 miles of the lower Los Pinos River is allocated to 8D and, Sierra Vandera is allocated to 8B. Following are prescription summaries for the management areas: 8B Emphasizes maintaining or improving wilderness character in a primitive recreation setting with high levels of solitude and opportunities for challenge, risk, and self-reliance. There is little visitor regulation and a low density trail system. 8C Emphasizes maintaining or improving wilderness character in a semi-primitive wilderness recreation setting with moderate levels of solitude and moderate opportunities for challenge and risk. Trails and designated campsites are evident. 8D Emphasizes maintaining or improving wilderness character in a high-density day use recreation setting with low levels of solitude. There is a nigh degree of visitor regulation and visitor contact. The 1979 study discussed planned user limits by establishing recreation management units within the drainage. The study envisioned a limit of 42,160 . recreation visitor days for the river area. Currently the San Juan National Forest is developing an implementation plan for management of the Weminuche Wilderness. Wilderness management needs' will prevail over wild and scenic river management direction. WILDLIFE AND FISHERIES Wildlife and fish species inhabiting the Los Pinos River corridor are diverse, being comprised of 225 known species. Of the 225 species, seven are fish, forty-four are mammals, eleven reptiles, four amphibians, fourteen waterfowl, six upland game birds, six shore birds, seventeen raptors, and the remaining 116 species are song birds. Elk, mule deer, big horn sheep, and black bear are the predominate big game species in the area. Except for the lower river area near the wilderness boundary the corridor is not hunted heavily. The need to establish elaborate is probably a large factor that discourages hunting at the higher elevations. Waters of the Los Pinos provide high quality fishing. Fish species in the river and lakes are primarily cutthroat trout. All the lakes are stocked except Emerald Lake. Emerald Lake is considered as one of the largest and best rainbow trout lake fisheries in Colorado. It is a wild trout fishery which has a self-sustaining population yielding relatively large fish. The trout out of this lake are a reproducing hybrid between rainbow and cutthroat.