WSPC07585 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

001963 -3- through a few abandoned homesteads. Here the Piney has aspen and sage- brush along its banks. The river continues through two ranch enclaves within this federal area to its confluence with the Colorado River at an elevation of about 6,000 feet above sea level. Here the country is quite arid as compared to the upper stretches of the Piney. The Piney area is on~y several miles from the town of Vail, a new and fast developing winter ski and year-round recreational resort community situated on Interstate 70 on the west side of Vail Pass in the eastern end of Eagle County. The current resident population of Eagle County is about 7,000 persons. Its economic base consists of timber, agriculture, mining and a rapidly increasing recreation industry, upon which the economic well-being of Eagle County is becoming increasingly dependent. Also, important is the fact that between 2-3 million Coloradoans dwell along the Front Range in the Denver Metropolitan area which is only ~! a several hours drive or a thirty minute plane flight away. . Key Points of the Piney River Watershed Geologically, the topography of the upper Piney is dominated by the jagged peaks of the Gore Range and by the narrow mountain valleys in its headwaters. Bedrock in this area consists of several varieties of crystalline and metamorphic rocks pf prejCambrian age. Paleozoic and Mesozoic sediments were deposited over mu~~lof the area but the subsequent uplift of the Gore Range accompanied by a5~JlY~ processes has stripped ---- these sediments from the highlands. In U~ x~r _~ time glaciers occupied most of the watershed's major valleys and consequently the valleys are blanketed by glacial and other surface deposits. Since the bedrock has been altered considerably by glaciation, terminal moraines and areas of glacial till and outwash are in evidence. These, of course, have led to large differences in the character of the valley depending on its elevation, climate, vegetation, and topography. The lower portion of the river is dominated by the igneous extrusions of andesite and basalt. Due to processes shaping the Piney River drainage, very low mineralization of economic value appears to be present. The probability for oil, gas, coal or any other hard rock mining exploration and develop- ment appears nil in the Piney watershed. The climate of the Piney is quite diverse. Its headwaters are at elevations of well above 12,000 feet. Here there are few frost- free nights each year. The headwaters are ch~~terized by snow, which dominates the landscape from October through ~~ Annual precipitation in the headwater areas is in the magnitude of thirty inches. The climate of the Piney, however, is quite different at its confluence with the Colorado River. Here the winters are milder and the river remains quite open. The climate here is more arid. Also a number of days each summer can be expected to be near the 80's and the growing season is much longer.