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<br />oul0H <br /> <br />DOLORES <br /> <br />U.S. FOREST SERVICE, STATE OF COLORADO, <br />HERITAGE CONSERVATION AND RECREATION SERVICE <br /> <br />Study Team Findings <br /> <br />The Dolores is eligible for the National System at the following <br />classification levels: <br /> <br />Segment 1 Source to Rico 1S miles Ineligible <br />Segment 2 West Dolores - Source to Mainstem 3S miles Recreational <br />Segment 3a McPhee Dam to Bradfield Ranch 11 miles Recreational <br />Segment 3b Bradfield Ranch to Disappointment Creek 41 miles Scenic <br />Segment 3c Disappointment Creek through Little 20 miles Recreational <br /> Gypsum Valley <br />Segment 3d Little Gypsum Valley to Bedrock 33 miles Wild <br />Segment 4 Confluence with San Miguel to Gateway 31 miles Ineligible <br /> <br />Costs <br /> <br />For developments and easement acquisition, $1,123,000; for <br />additional AO&M, $155,000. <br /> <br />: I <br /> <br />Description <br /> <br />Of the rivers selected for study within Colorado the Dolores is the <br />most representative of all the riparian ecosystems in the state. The <br />35 miles of the West Dolores alone traverse 3 major western life <br />zones; the other segments traverse another 2. <br /> <br />Alpine streams coalesce in Navajo Lake, the source of the West <br />Dolores. Below the lake the stream enters dense stands of spruce <br />and fir, the most visible representatives of the sub-alpine life zone. <br />The upper 9 miles are within a proposed National Forest wilderness <br />area. <br /> <br />Beginning at the settlement of Dunton the West Dolores meanders <br />through a mixture of private and Forest Service land (30 percent <br />and 70 percent respectively). Small farms and ranches are nestled <br />in the fertile meadows adjacent to the river. . The mixed ownership <br />may pose a problem to management of this segment of the river. <br />The lower end of the West Dolores is within the Montane life zone, <br />as the spacious stands of ponderosa pine near its confluence with <br />the mainstem indicate. <br /> <br />17 <br />