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<br />Craig is situated north of Yampa River in a valley formed by Forti- <br />fication Creek as it flows from the north. While topographY in <br />the Craig area is gently rOlling hills and valleys, the headwater <br />regions of the study streams are considerably steeper. <br /> <br />The soils in the Craig area and the headwater regions of the study <br />streams are classified as: <br /> <br />Cryoboralfs-Cryoborolls (Rock Outcrop) <br />Paleborolls-Cryoborolls <br />Camborthids-Argiborolls <br />Hybro-Camborthids <br />Ustorthents-Argiborolls <br />MacParlane-Pinkham (Rock Outcrop) <br /> <br />The permeability of these soils ranges mainly from low to moderate, <br />with a small area at the upper elevations having a rapid permeability. <br /> <br />Vegetation in the Craig area varies according to elevation. In <br />the valley areas below 8,000 feet that are not used for agriculture, <br />vegetation is classified as northern desert shrub, which includes <br />sagebrush, rabbitbrush, and winterfat, with an understory of various <br />hardy grasses. Due to the poor ground cover in this region, snow <br />tends to melt and run off rapidly. <br /> <br />At the higher elevations, from approximately 8,000 feet to timberline, <br />subalpine forests consisting of aspen, lodgepole pine. Douglas <br />fir, and Englernann spruce are common_ Runoff in this region is <br />quite variable due to the mixture of rock outcrops and dense pine <br />needle beds. <br /> <br />Climate in the Craig area is classified as semiarid and is charac- <br />terized by low precipitation, large daily temperature range, low <br />humidity, frequent wind, and abundant sunshine. The prevailing <br />direction of air movement to the region is from the west. On <br />arrival, airmasses from the west are comparatively dry due to <br />long travel over land and loss of moisture over mountain ranges. <br />Howeverr the primary sources of moisture are the Pacific Ocean <br />and the Gulf of Mexico. Generally, airmasses from the Pacific <br />Ocean dominate the weather from October through April, while air- <br />masses from the Gulf of Mexico dominate during late spring and <br />summer. Temperature in summer is very mild, the record high being <br />lOOoP. Temperature maximums above 950p occur infrequently. The <br />lowest observed temperature in Craig was _o45F in January 1963. <br />The mean temperatures range from approximately 170p in January <br />to approximately 670p in July. Cooler temperatures prevail in <br />higher mountain areas. The growing season usually extends for <br />60 to 120 days. <br /> <br />Normal annual precipitation varies with elevationr and ranges <br />from approximately 14 inches at Craig to an estimated 30 inches <br />at higher elevations in the Elkhead Mountains. Most of the annual <br /> <br />5 <br />