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OG37JO THREATENED AND ENDANGERED SPECIES: None has been identified. CONFLICTS: The local communities are very concerned about expansions of the Big Blue Wilderness because of the substantial impact it will have on development of their tourist industry. Motorized recreation trails which curren~ly exist are considered essential to the stability of these economies. The Engineer Pass road is used as access to the current wilderness by hikers, hunters and campers. Several mining claims exist, and mineral exploration is ongoing. The Bill Hare Gulch and Larson Creek areas would add little to the quality of the existing Big Blue Wilderness, but if designated would detract substantially from local tourism. WATER: Stream drainages include the North Fork of Henson Creek and other tributaries to Henson Creek plus the headwaters of Cow Creek, which is a tributary to the Uncompahgre River. All streams are a part of the Gunnison River drainage system. MINERALS: American Flats is located in the Uncompahgre Caldera complex adjacent to the Eureka graben, where many mining operations contributed to the production of precious and base metals in the late 1800s and early 1900s. In areas immediately adjacent to the WSA, exploration is occurring on both public and private land. There are 40 unpatented mining claims on file with the BLM in the Dolly Varden Mountain, North Fork of Henson Creek and Sunshine Mountain areas. In adjacent areas similar to these, mining has occurred in the past. In addition to precious and base metals potential, geochemical and geophysical analyses indicate the Dolly Varden Mountain areas have potential for economic concentrations of uranium. LEASES: No leases exist. CLAIMS: The area directly south of the American Flats area includes 5 unpatented mining claims. TIMBER: Most of these areas are above timberline. Forest cover occurs on 178 acres and is mainly Englemann spruce. Of this, 83 acres is withdrawn from timbering, leaving 95 acres which contain 855 thousand board feet with a potential sustained yield volume of 8 million board feet per year. GRAZING: Two grazing allotments are located partly Flats area for a total of 353 animal unit months. grazed by sheep from early July to October 1. in the American The area is RECREATION: Many visit the areas to hunt deer, elk and bear. Several groups regularly use the American Flats area during the summer season; for example, the Colorado Outward Bound School has projected a yearly use figure of 1,248 recreations user days. Vehicle travel and viewing of scenery are the recreational activities that receive the greatest use around the periphery of the WSA.