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Lorencito Cnnyon hlinr Conmur Cuts Gdrtval Resources lnvenrory intermediate to felsic intrusives (Tweto 1979). The felsic intrusives occur as a distinct sill in • some of the canyon walls. Some of the local intrusive materials have moderately good flaking qualities and were used for tool manufacture by the prehistoric inhabitants of the area. Five plant communities were identified in the earlier survey of the Lorencito Canyon mine (McKibbin et al 1997). Only two of these plant communities, oak-pinon and grassland, occur to any extent on the slopes and benches of the current project area. Mountain shrub and pinon- juniper communities, not encountered in the eazlier survey, also occur in the area. The oak-pinon community is composed of low, brushy, clone-like stands of Gambel oak, scattered pinon. mountain mahogany, and juniper with a low understory of grasses and forbs. The grassland community is interspersed among the other communities, but occurs predominantly on flatter areas, such as valley floors and upland benches. This community is dominated by grasses and forbs, but also includes scattered brushy taxa. Some of the grassland areas have been disked, ripped, or seeded to enhance their rangeland qualities. The varied terrain, forage, and cover of the project area provide favorable habitat, for large herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, smaller mammals, and avian fauna. Bison were present in [he area historically, and elk, mule deer, white-tailed deer, and pronghorn antelope are still present. Carnivores and omnivores include bear, bobcat, coyote, fox, and puma. Avian fauna include various raptors, turkey, raven, magpies, grouse, ducks, Canadian geese, and smaller songbirds. All of these taxa, as well as many smaller mammals, had subsistence or ritual importance to prehistoric and early historic occupants of the region. • CULTURE HISTORY AND PREVIOUS WORK A files search (#9329) was conducted at the Colorado Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation on January 26, 2001 for the area containing the proposed contour cuts. The files search indicated that the only reported cultural resource investigations that have been completed in this area are the 1996 cultural resource survey for the Lorencito Canyon Mine (McKibbin et al 1997) and the testing and site discovery investigations for the mine the following year (McKibbin 1997). McKibbin et al (1997) reported 26 prehistoric sites and eight prehistoric isolated finds within the area containing the present project area (Table 1). Three of the prehistoric sites were associated with historical archaeological components. One of the sites with both prehistoric and historical components (SLA7186) was evaluated as eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, and four prehistoric sites (SLA6982, SLA7007, SLA7194, and SLA7196) were evaluated as potentially eligible and needing additional studies to fully evaluate their significance. n U Cumnur(br,curRa.,-RPr/lsJHrvruvrd Ir. Soar 2