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INTRODUCTION • Nickens and Associates, under contract to Colorado Westmoreland Inc. (CWI) of Paonia, Colorado, recently conducted a cultural resource inventory of CWI's proposed 46kV transmission line. The project area is located approximately 4.7 km (2.9 mi) northwest of the town of Paonia, Delta County, Colorado. Although the powerline corridor extends through Sections 23, 24, and 25 of T13S, R92W, 6th P.M., all of Section 23 had been previously inventoried and cleared, so no additional survey of that area was requested by CWI. A 1.3 km (4200 ft) long by 30 m (100 ft) wide right-of-way was surveyed in the SW} and SE} of Section 24 and the NW} of Section 25. A corridor 600 m (2000 ft) long by 30 m (100 ft) wide in the SE} of Section 24 and the NW} of Section 25 was also considered, due to realignment of the centerline after the initial cultural resources inventory had been completed (Figure 1). Because the proposed powerline crosses public land administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), various historic preservation laws and regulations requiring that cultural resources be identified and evaluated are applicable. These laws require the protection of cultural resources determined to be significant in terms of their eligibility to the National Register of Historic Places. The archaeological investiga- tions described herein were conducted in accordance with this legisla- tion and under provision of BLM cultural resources permit C-40157, which expires March 12, 1989. • Field work was conducted on September 3, 1986 by Susan M. Chandler. A total of approximately 14 acres are considered to be cleared for cultural resources; of this, approximately 6 acres were pedestrian inventoried at an intensive leve] The remaining 8 acres were covered with dense oakbrush, and could not be traversed. Field notes and photographs for the project are on file at Nickens and Associates, Montrose, Colorado. EFFECTIVE ENVIRONMENT The project area is located above the North Fork Valley of west- central Colorado. The proposed powerline is in the Steven's Gulch drainage, which is a permanent tributary of the North Fork of the Gunnison River. Elevation of the project area ranges from 1951 m to 2073 m (6400 ft to 6800 ft). Vegetation in the project area is dominated by thick stands of Gambel's oak with occasional junipers and an understory of squawbush, serviceberry, mountain mahogany, sagebrush, Indian ricegrass, and various fortis. Fauna in the area include deer, elk, cottontail rabbits and other small mammals, and birds. Soils are aeolian and overlie sedimentary formations. Basalt rocks are scattered on the hillslopes. LITERATURE REVIEW AND EXISTING DATA Literature Review • A Colorado State Inventory file search and a search of the Montrose