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' -, _. ~. <br />,---~ <br />' UNITED STATES DEPl.r2TMENT OF AGRICULTURE <br />Soil Conservation Service, Colorado <br />' Technical Guide RANGE SITE N0. 293 <br />Section II E Field Office <br />August 1915 <br />' RANGE SITE. DESCRIPTION <br />' for <br />SANDHILLS <br />' Land Resource Area: Central Desertic Basins, Mountains <br />and Plateaus (34) <br />' A. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS <br />I. Physiographic Features <br />Rolling sandhills from aeolian sands From the Brnwn's Park <br />sandstone form the topography of this landscape. The site <br />is within an elevational Yange of 5900 to 6300 feet. <br />2. Climatic Features <br />' The average annual precipitation is 12 to 15 inches with an <br />estimated 50$ of the moisture falling as snow. The optimum <br />growing season for native plants is between May 15 to July 15• <br />The average annual temperature is 42° F. <br />3. Native (potential) Vegetation <br />This site is dominated by antelope bitterbrush. Associated <br />with this shrub are big sagebrush, silver sagebrush, gray horse- <br />brush, low rabbi[brush and rubber rabbitbrush. Prickly pear <br />' occurs infrequently. The principal grasses are Indian ricegrass, <br />needle-and-thread, sand dropseed and Sandberg bluegrass. Con- <br />spicuous (orbs are hairy goldaster, eriogonum, lupine, loco, <br />arrowleaf balsamroot, yarrow, wornnaood, death caniati, ticarlet <br />' globemallow, cryptan[ha, evening-primrose and daisy flcabani~. <br />Percent ground cover is generally about 258. <br />' Plants not a part of the potential plant community that are most <br />likely to invade when the cover deteriorates are cheat9rass and <br />' ~ other introduced annuals. <br />;'~ .,. , <br />... wty .. <br />., <br />r.,~ <br />F`.v <br />•~. <br />