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<br />The valley rontains 176,700 acres of timbered lands; the remaining 28,135 acres are non-forested
<br />or water surface. The vild and scenic river corridor affects 10,SOO acres of non-wilderness
<br />land. Of these, apprcdmately 2,700 acres are privately owned and not included in the tillber
<br />base. Tables VIa and VIb show the forested areas by species and size class.
<br />
<br />Timb~r harvest in the past has only occurred on river corridor lands along the East and Middle
<br />Forls and a small area near Sheep Creek on the lower river. Difficult terrain, high road
<br />development costs and other environmental considerations have left the river corridor largely
<br />untouched by tLaber harvest. This trend will continue unless techniques and costs of helicopter
<br />lORgin~ systems improve to avoid conventional 10Rging developments.
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<br />TABLE VI..
<br />TREE SPECIES OF THE PIEDRA VALLE\" - 1977
<br />
<br />SpecIe..
<br />Spruce Fir
<br />PonderosaPine
<br />Douglas-fir/~ite
<br />AsPlon
<br />
<br />'"
<br />
<br />Savtilllber
<br />60,600
<br />30,->00
<br />3~,500
<br />7,300
<br />
<br />Poletimber
<br />1,600
<br />5,bOO
<br />',400
<br />24,400
<br />
<br />Acrea - Size Class
<br />Seedling/S..plinKs
<br />'0{)
<br />1,400
<br />]0{)
<br />1,800
<br />
<br />Son-stocked
<br />2,800
<br />
<br />1.000
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<br />TABLE VIb
<br />TREE SPECIES OF THE RiVER CORRIDOR
<br />
<br />Specie..
<br />Spruce Fir
<br />PonderosaPine
<br />Douglas-fJr/~~ite Fir
<br />Aspen
<br />Son-Forest 6 Water
<br />
<br />S......timber
<br />80{)
<br />2,900
<br />1,900
<br />300
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<br />Acres - Si~e Class
<br />Poletimber SeedlinK/SaplinKS
<br />
<br />Non-stocked
<br />
<br />1.800
<br />300
<br />1,100
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<br />lOater: An dvera~e 223,900 ar.re feet of ...ater per year is discharged from the river. It is used
<br />~ecrcation, irrigation, domestic, and fish and ...ildlife uSeS. The average annual ...ater
<br />yield could be increase~ if all timber stands ~cre managed for water production (see Appendix C).
<br />
<br />Minerals: Small shipments of metalliferous ores from the Pagosa Springs area have occasionally
<br />been reported to the Colorado Bureau of Mines, but no sourte has been definitely identified
<br />within the study area. 11 In recent years, exploratory activities for nuclear !IIinerals have
<br />increased. Uranium in Dudley Creek, a tributary On the l"",er Piedra, W35 noted in the 1950's
<br />and is the focal point of recent sctivity With several hundred mining claims being established.
<br />So economic finds have been reported to date.
<br />
<br />Pursu3nt to Sections 9(b) and (a-iii) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, those areas ...ithin One-
<br />q~rter mile ~n either side of any river added to the system withdrawn from all forms of
<br />appropriations under the general mining or leasing laws.
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<br />EnerRY: The area doea not have any identified potential for geOthermal energy: natural gaa
<br />potential is limited. Minor amounts of cOlllbustible gas were encountered in the Lewis Shales,
<br />northerly from Pagosa Springs, during water well drilling but nO economic development occurred,
<br />
<br />The .rea does not contain any known roal leasing areaS, 81 Lignite occurs southeast of the
<br />study area, The coal-~earir.g fo~tion extends into the-southe3stern portion of the drainage
<br />but has little potential in the river corridor.
<br />
<br />One potential hydroelectric site exists in the First Sox Canyon of the Piedra River with the
<br />capacity for g..neratin;t :'0,000,000 kilowatt-houtP annually. 91 Colltll determined at the tIllle of
<br />the V.S.D,I. report indicated a benefit/cost ratio of 0.8612~ So further action ...as taken be-
<br />t...een the reconnaissance report and the pre5ent to est3blish the project.
<br />
<br />II Four Cornerll Environment~l Research Institute, Geologic and Mineral Evaluation of ~ Pagosa
<br />and Piedra Planning Cnits, 197:, San Juan Sationsl Forest, p. 5.
<br />
<br />~ Energy Minerals Activity Recomaendation System, ~ of Known Coal LeasinR~, 1976,
<br />Colorado State Office of the Bureau of Land ~nagement.
<br />
<br />91 USDI-Bureau of Recla~tion, O'Seal Park Project-Colorado, 1956, Reconnaisaance Report, p, 2.
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