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, ,4 nnr !Jur','" . C. Land Ownership Of the authorized 138,500 acre project area, about 6,500 acres are Federal land, 60,000 acres are State land, and 72,000 acres are in private ownership. Most of the State and Federal land is leased for grazing. 1. Land Use Cultivated crops in the project area are limited because of the high water table and moderately alkaline to alkaline soil conditions. About 2,000 acres within the project boundaries are irrigated; the principal crops are alfalfa and barley. The primary land use within the project boundaries is the grazing of domestic 1ivestock. Approximately 30 percent of the unimproved rangeland and pastureland I 1n Alamosa and Saguache counties is found within the project boundaries. Low amounts of precipitation and overgrazing, especially during the drought in the early 1900's, have combined to produce large acreages of vegetation types which are not high producers of usable forage. The dominant shrubs in the valley are black greasewood and These two species exhibit similar root systems, that is, a complex near the soil surface and a deep taproot. Greasewood is widely adapted in that it occupies habitats that mayor may not be highly saline. Rubber rabbitbrush is more indicative of lighter-textured soils and subsurface moisture. Rabbitbrush does not withstand saline or alkaline conditions as well as greasewood. 6 rubber rabbitbrush. shallow spreading root F t G . D. Vegetation Saltgrass is the dominant grass species in the project area and is often found m in areas where soil textures are heavy, salt concentrations at the soil surface r are high, and soil moisture is available most of the year. Saltgrass, however, does not require high salt concentrations and may be found in areas where roots must extend down several feet to reach existing water tables. E. Federal Wildlife Management Areas There are three major Federal Wildlife Management Areas within the San Luis Valley. They are the Blanca Wildlife Habitat area, the Alamosa NWR and the Monte Vista NWR. f. [ , IV. Fish and Wildlife Resources A. Period of Analysis The period of analysis for fish and wildlife coincides with the life of the project - 100 years. B. Without the Project 1 . Fi shery a. Area of Influence Blanca Wildlife Habitat Area - The BLM Blanca Wildlife 5,390 acres of public land. The primary purpose of Blanca 4 (1) Habitat area contains