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<br />w{: <br />!,(' <br />,," <br /> <br />~ <br />';'-' <br />~~t" <br /> <br />CHAPTER I <br /> <br />INTRODUCTION <br /> <br />Fl <br /> <br />The unit area is gently rolling, with infrequent drainages that <br />are often deep with steep banks. The Big Sandy River Valley is <br />broad in the vicinity of Farson and Eden but is relatively narrow <br />downstream of Farson. Numerous cold water saline seeps and <br />springs emerge and flow into the river along a 26-mile reach <br />beginning west of Eden and extending downstream to near Gasson <br />Bridge. A considerable amount of the seepage emerges in Bone <br />Draw, a tributary to the Big Sandy River in the central portion <br />of the seep area. Flows in the last mile of the draw are <br />perennial. Downstream of Bone Draw the river swings south then <br />west, forming a curve known as Big Bend. Steep cliffs and <br />escarpments rise above the Big Bend area. Downstream of Gasson <br />Bridge to the river's confluence with the Green River, the valley <br />again broadens. <br /> <br />F"; <br /> <br />The climate is arid to semiarid. Average annual precipitation <br />ranges from 7 to 13 inches with peak precipitation months being <br />April, May, and June. Average monthly temperatures at Farson <br />vary from a low of 9 OF in January to a high of 63 of in July. <br />Extreme temperatures vary from -55 "F in the winter to above 90 "F <br />in the sununer. <br /> <br />,.-;;;-, <br />~ <br /> <br />Vegetation types are primarily influenced by precipitation, soil <br />conditions, and land use. Desert shrub is the major vegetation <br />type. Vegetation along the Big Sandy River and the numerous <br />seeps receives additional moisture from streamflows, creating a <br />narrow zone of riparian vegetation and associated meadows along <br />these areas. <br /> <br />.1tl <br /> <br />Big game species include antelope, mule deer, and elk. Also <br />there are a variety of predators such as the coyote, fox, bobcat, <br />and cougar. Other species known to inhabit the area are <br />white-tailed jackrabbit, prairie dog, cottontail rabbit, beaver, <br />muskrat, badger, and wild horses. <br /> <br />'l-' <br />, -~, <br /> <br />~i <br />~:,~ <br />&t:; <br /> <br />The cliffs along the Big Sandy River provide raptor nesting <br />habitat. Active nests of gOlden eagles, redtailed hawks, marsh <br />hawks, prairie falcons, and great horned owls have been observed. <br /> <br />F' <br /> <br />The peregrine falcon, bald eagle, whooping crane, and <br />black-footed ferret are four endangered species potentially <br />occurring within the study area. Peregrines are sporadically <br />sighted during migration periods, and there are historic nesting <br />sites near the confluence of the Green and Big Sandy Rivers. <br />Although bald eagles are frequently sighted throughout the unit <br />area, they appear to winter mostly along the Green River in the <br />southern portion. Black-footed ferret sightings have been <br />documented and confirmed in Sweetwater County, Wyoming, as <br />recently as 1976 (U.S. Forest Service 1981). <br /> <br />;:'-": <br /> <br />3 <br /> <br />" ' 1"" . <br />v ..: I.. ~ i <br />