Laserfiche WebLink
(Springfield 1975). Within this community, which occurs in level to <br />slightly sloping terrain on the Animas Coal Company site, there are <br />no evident changes in community composition with respect to <br />variation in soils, slope, aspect, water availability or elevation. <br />However, past management appears to account for the present <br />condition of this community. <br />Much of this area was once occupied by the community of Starkville <br />according to a resident of the area. Today, the vegetation <br />community is dominated by forbs (77% of the total vegetation cover). <br />Three species, Helianthus petiolaris, Kochia americana, and <br />Marrubium vulgare, account for 17.5 percent cover, or approximately <br />45 percent of the total vegetation cover. Each of these species is an <br />invader of disturbed areas. Conversely, species which are thought to <br />dominate this area under undisturbed conditions, such as blue grama, <br />occur in very low densities. The present condition of the bottomland <br />vegetation type is the result of past disturbance from residential <br />areas, and probably from overgrazing, although no livestock was <br />observed in the area during this survey. <br />Pinyon-Juniper <br />The vegetation community designated as pinyon-juniper occurs within <br />the pinyon-juniper woodland site as defined by the Soil Conservation <br />Service. Species composition within this community appears to be <br />similar to the presumed climax condition with a mixture of grasses, <br />forbs, gambel oak, mountain mahogany and pinyon and juniper trees. <br />Total vegetation cover is greater than the normal condition, <br />accounted for by the relatively high cover percentages of gambel oak <br />and mountain mahogany. Soils within this type appear to be fairly <br />uniform although they become thinner near the tops of ridges. These <br />areas appear to support relatively higher numbers of pinyon and <br />juniper trees and lesser amounts of gambel oak and mountain <br />mahogany. Grasses and forbs appear to be quite uniformly <br />distributed throughout the area. <br />