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• <br />Within the vicinity of the Trapper Ni re, ground wa ter exists _^ loo th be~3rec1; <br />and alluvial aquifers. Major be,drocl; aquifer. -.^. the area are the Tr^u h. <br />Creek, f•1iddZe, T;rentumiie, and Ivhite sandstones.. TF;a maim allcviaZ aquifers <br />;n the area are those associated with t.ie szmpa anc' tai iZiams' :or1: Rivers. <br />Many of the coals, discontinuous ..andstones and siltstones. and sure of the <br />smaller alluvial :ormatiors are also water-i~ear_nc. F!o»e~:er, they =entain <br />irsufficia~t cvantities of :aster to be considered major aquifers. <br />The climare or the recicr, is classifie3 as hichland con tin-~raa1, a.~d is crar- <br />acterized by lo:r precipitation, lance _`Zuctuaticrs in diurnel tempuatures, <br />Zow humidilu, mod?rate :wind, and high Sevels cf -nsolation. Th.a local climate <br />of t:^e Craig, Colorado area is characteristic of tF.e seal-arid steppe, regions. <br />Due to massifs M the writ and east of the Cr3iq area a;,d Jce ccrresoondir:g <br />orographic effects, ti~is locale exper'encas a nlr~tl nQmDer or dry, clear days. <br />The average annual precipitation for the area is ];.5 ache::, ~r :rhich over <br />one-thi.cd is snowfal_' (averaeina 56.5 -aches/uear). The Haan ar.rua1 tem- <br />perature is d3°i', :o_th recorded extremes of -~5°o and ~?00°!'. [•~inds are <br />predominant.'y from the west, but are _'ocally modified by geomorp.h_'c features. <br />The gtow`rc season for the area around Craio averages 77 days. <br />The permit area is'cccupied by tY.ree soil orders; Rridisols, Er.ticols, and <br />veLisols. These sc`1 orders are characteristic of fairly :steep, semi-arid <br />• regions of Northwestern Colorado. They represent soils that grade from <br />recently developed sc`1 bodies with minimum horizen deve_'ormer.t (Entiso7s) <br />to cider soils with well-defined diacncstic horizons (MOllisols). <br />Overall, rte soils found in the pmcosed permit area are relatively deep and <br />fairly well-drsined. Effective rootinc depth varies from ?0-c0 inches within <br />th.~ area. The deepest, soils y.ieldiry the gre_test rooting depths occur crit.hin <br />valleys and nn the Leeward side of ridges. Soil resction is slicr,t.iy acid to <br />moderately ai.kaiine over the permit area with the exception of inclusions of <br />small scattered areas with. sa L`ne substrata. These small areas have probab_'y <br />forsad in niece from weathered sodic shales. <br />loge*_aticn i,-: the area crows largely in response to macro c'_imati•; ir.rlvences <br />~f the reg_'en. The north-facing slopes, ha virv moderate tc peep so_:1s, a <br />relatively resin moisture regim=, and favorable levels of irsclaticn throu~h- <br />cut the year are characterised bu well-deve'oped rountain shn7b communities. <br />On the colluical toe-slopes, cornunities dc.•^inatedr,y sagebrush. and seine <br />Grasses occu=. On the souls-facing slopes bBla nd the _idgaline o' the C^illiams <br />Fork .moon tai rs, vegetative ccnrnuni ti as are not .as we.ilr8evelo pod in terms of <br />cover, densi`u and production due *_e the _'ess `~verable soil , moist;:re regime: <br />and increased solar 'rsoiaricn. P.'~e trend i.n t`:ese areas _a toward cernunities <br />dominated ~,~ jun.:per, pinyon, mour.rain ,rahoganu, and xerophytes. <br />:dithin. the pewit area, natu.rai vegetative coanunitles :~sve peen r..odif_ed -o <br />varv_;c degrees by man enri domestic anima a . h;uco of the land along toe- <br />• slopes and va'_eu bottoms has beer. cleared c= native ce7?tat±rr. and is ccrrent;.p <br />utilized for dryla nd agr-cv%tvra. i4c s- o: the mrtb-rac~nc .;lo nos in the area <br />nave been histuucal_u ~~se.^. .`or the gre~ina or s!;_=r. ar,:'/or ~ attle. Die -o ":e <br />ahc:-e, "e permit area _., characterized ~y ... mosa~~- d:'si:r_hct:or, of common::ties. <br />