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~ ~ 1.0 INTRODUCTION Western Fuels-Utah, Inc. has acquired a new coal lease at the Deserado Mine comprising a total of 360 acres. The lease is located in Rio Blanco County on ~ lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management, White River Resource Area. Because mine development on the new lease will result in ground disturb- , antes on federal lands, various historic preservation laws and regulations must be addressed, including the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (as amended), Executive Order 11593, the Archaeological Preservation Act of 1974, and the Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979 (as amended). These laws are intended to ensure the identification and preservation of significant cultural re- sources. To comply with these laws, Western Fuels-Utah, Inc. contracted with A1Qine Archaeological Consultants, Inc. (Alpine) of Montrose, Colorado to conduct (~ a ]tterature search and intensive pedestrtan Inventory of the planned ground dis- I turbance areas. ~; The Seldwork was conducted August 27-29, 1991 by Rand A. Greubel, crew chief, and Clark Pope and Carrie Woodward of Alpine. Susan M. Chandler served as Principal Investigator. A total of 360 acres was intensively examined for cultural .. resources. The fieldwork was conducted under the provisions of State of Colorado Archaeological Permit 91-12 expires February 28, 1992) and BLM-Colorado Cul- tural Resource Use Permit C-46920 (expires March 7, 1993). Field notes and photographs resulting from the project are on file at Alpine. 2.0 LOCATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL BACKGROUND The project area is located within the Uintah Basin Section of the Colorado Plateau physiographic province, in northern Rio Blanco County, Colorado (Figure 1). It is about 18 km (11 miles) northwest of Rangely, Colorado and approximately (~ 2 km (1.2 mi]es) north of the White River, which is a primary river in the region. 1, The project area consists of the SW'/s of Section 25, the NW'/. of Section 36, and the NE'/< of the SE'/s of Section 36, all T3N, R101W, 6th Principal Meridian (Figure 2). ( The region is characterized by low rolling hills dissected by intermittent streams. I ~ Outcrops of the upper unit of the Mesa Verde group sandstones occur in the project area, which serve as parent materials for area soils. The project area is drained by Red Wash, an intermittent tributary to the White River. Geologically, the project I' area is characterized by Cretaceous age sandstone, shale, and coal overlying Sego sandstone (Tweto 1979). Quaternary alluvium and colluvium occur along Red Wash (Rowley et al. 1985). The climate is semiarid, receiving approximately 203 mm (8 ' inches) of precipitation per year. Elevations range from 1,640 m (5,380 ft.) to ~' 1,682 m (5,520 ft.). Dominant vegetation includes big sagebrush, grasses, saltbush, rabbitbrush, and flowering annuals. Greasewood grows along Red Wash. The project area has historically been utilized primarily for sheepgrazing and recreational hunting. Construction disturbance is limited to a small number of exploratory drill holes and associated dirt access roads. ~~ i~ ,' 2