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CHAPTER IV DESCRIPTION OF AREA . north-facing slopes. Those species are often associated with Colorado spruce and quaking aspen especially in the more moist locations. Nar- rowleaf cottonwood is quite common along streambanks. Dense stands of Douglas fir on north slopes support very little understory, but the open timber stands, characteristic of the ponderosa pine phase as well as associated meadows and streambanks, support luxuriant vegetation. The spruce-fir community extends upward from mountain shrub and ponderosa pine-Douglas fir zones to timberline or from about 8,000 to 12,000 feet in elevation. The climax trees are Engleman spruce and alpine fir. This zone also contains extensive stands of lodgepole pine, quaking aspen, and Colorado spruce. The undergrowth in dense coniferous stands is sparse, but aspen stands and grassland parks in this zone exhibit a vast array of plant species. Representative shrubs of these sites are Canadian buffaloberry, mountain COmmon juniper, and red bill- berry. (Harrington 1964) Fish and Wildlife The study area has an abundance of fish and wildlife. The upper White and Yampa Rivers and their higher tributaries are well-known trout streams. Big-game hunting is of major local and State significance. Wildlife . The most prominent wildlife species in the study area are the mule deer, elk, and pronghorn antelope. Deer generally summer in sagebrush, pinyon-juniper, and mountain shrub zones and in the mid-elevation forest lands, but in winter they tend to concentrate in lower sagebrush valleys of both river basins and along lower ridges and mesas having southern exposures. Elk ranges are usually somewhat higher than those used by deer; however, there is some intermingling in both winter and summer. Most of the elk in the area are found in the eastern portion of the basins, but smaller herds are present on the Roan Plateau and in the Uinta Mountains. Antelope are generally limited to the rolling sage- brush lands north and west of Craig. A small herd of antelope is becoming established east of the Green River in Utah. Black bear and mountain lion are other big-game animals present in the area but in smaller numbers than the three species just discussed. The black bear is generally limited to the forested mountain areas to the east but occasionally one or two are seen in the higher elevations in the western section. The number of mountain lions is small, but they roam over almost the entire area. Many other mammals are present in the area, depending on habitat availability, food supply, and human interference factors. Most note- worthy of these are such species as the coyote, bobcat, marmot, skunk, . 32