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~~ <br />surface finds for inclusion on the National Register of 1-[istoric Places (NRl [P); to determine <br />the potential effect of the mining activities on all NRHP-eligible resources; and to make <br />recommendations for the mitigation of any adverse effects on those cultural resources. <br />Location of tltc Project Arcs <br />The study area is in Delta County, Colorado, within and just north of the town of <br />Bowie. The project area is an irregular block located in T. 13 S., R. 91 W., Sections 10 S! =, <br />I I SW'h, 14 N'/zNW'/~ and l5 N'/, Gtli P.M. Areas of intensive survey are within that block <br />(Figure I ). <br />Effective Enviromnent <br />The study area lies oft the southeast corner of Grand iviesa, an 11,000-foot Iti~;h, Ilat- <br />topped mountain capped by basalt Oows of late Miocene and early Pliocene age ca. 10 million <br />years old (Young and Young 19GS). Cretaceous-age Mesaverde Formation sandstones and <br />coal-bearing rocks make up the majority of [he geology of the study area. This mineral <br />attracted the mining industry to the region. The project area was used historically as a mine <br />• site and a company town. <br />i <br />~.. The North Fork of the Gunnison River is located just south of the study area. <br />i Elevations in the study area range from between 5960 and 7940 feet. These and the <br />surrounding higher elevations support four main plant communities: Upper Sonoran and <br />Transitional Zonc (oakbruslr, serviceberry, pinyon /juniper) on the mountain sides, and <br />riparian woodland and sagebruslt/grassland in the narrow valley bottoms. <br />Limitations to the survey were the dense vegetation cover and the steep terrain. <br />Inclines vary behveen 5 and 33 degrees, but a majority of the study area slopes 13 degrees. <br />Vegetation cover is primarily pine-oak community with an increasingly dense cover of <br />oakbruslr in the higher elevations. Ground visibility ranges from a maximum of 25 percent to <br />less than 10 percent. The region supports numerous wildlife species. Elk, deer, coyote, <br />black bear, rabbits and raptors are common. <br />Climatically, the yearly average temperature is 51 degrees F., and there is a maximum <br />of 120 frost-free days in a year. Annual precipitation is about 12-15 inches (USDA SCS <br />1976, Cover type 239). Paleoenvironmental data for the area are scant, but it is agreed that <br />gross climatic conditions have remained fairly constant over the last 12,000 years. Still, <br />changes in effective moisture and cooling/warming trends probably affected the prehistoric <br />occupation of the area. <br />• <br /> <br />