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<br />Ridge to the south. Elevation ranges from 7400' to 9500'. Slope is gentle <br />(5-30%) along the ridgetops but increases to as much as 66% within the <br />deeply incised drainages. Aside from North Thompson Creek, there are no <br />other permanent waterways within the project boundaries. <br />Underlying the area is the Upper Cretaceous Mesa Verde Formation, <br />which consists of sandstone, shale, and coal deposits. These rocks weather <br />to form soils that are tan, sandy, and contain much broken debris. Soil <br />depth is estimated to be 2-15cm along the ridges where bedrock is exposed <br />and up to a meter or more in valley bottoms. <br />The climate is characterized by long, cold winters and short, coal <br />summers. Average annual temperature is 30°F. Annual precipitation averages <br />between 25 and 45 inches, with more than two-thirds falling as snow. The <br />optimum growing season for native plants is July 1st to August 15th. <br />The upper elevations of the study area are vegetated with alpine <br />grasses, fortis, and dense stands of spruce/fir and aspen. Ground visibil- <br />ity along the ridge tops is generally low (10%). The steep slopes exhibit <br />the same vegetation but also oakbrush, serviceberry, and some pinyon/juni- <br />per as well. Faunal sign observed indicate use of the area by bear, elk, <br />and mule deer. Other wildlife species known to use this habitat are the <br />snowshoe hare, marmot, weasel, pika, mountain lion, and coyote. Evidence <br />of domestic cattle grazing was present. <br />Known Cultural Resources <br />A search of the Colorado Archaeological Site Inventory, the Colorado <br />Inventory of Historic Sites, and nominations pending or on the National <br />Register of Historic Places produced no known archaeological and/or his- <br />torical/architectural resources in the project area. (See Appendix A for <br />documentation of files search.) <br />-3- <br />