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4 <br />consists of slopes which exceed 400 (Figure 2). Mesaverde <br />• sandstone (Cretaceous) outcrops permanently near the tops <br />of several ridges in the project area, forming vertical <br />cliffs and overhangs (Figures 3A and 3B). The valleys <br />between the ridges have relatively gentle sloping floors <br />-~ of 150 or less. <br />Soils in the area surveyed are generally loamy, and are <br />formed of residuum and colluvium derived principally from <br />sandstone and shale. The predominant soil in the project <br />~_ area is Dunckley-Skyway, clay complex, followed by Routt <br />loam, 5kylick loam, and Binko silty clay loam (USDA Soil <br />Conservation Service, Steamboat Springs, personal communication <br />1987). <br />Native plant communities associated with the soils include <br />Gambel oak, serviceberry, mountain mahogany, chokecherry, <br />rabbitbrush, elk sedge, sagebrush, western wheatgrass, <br />prairie junegrass, and needleandthread grass. Ground <br />cover averages 80 to 100. Some aspen, Ponderosa pine, <br />and fir are present in the overstory. <br />Fauna observed in the area include elk, mule deer, marmot, <br />beaver, golden eagle, great horned owl, and various small <br />songbirds. <br />• Average annual precipitation in the area is 16 to 25 inches, <br />and average temperature is 37 to 900F. Elevation of the <br />area surveyed is between 6960 and 7400 feet. <br />9.0 EXISTING DATA AND LITERATURE REVIEW <br />The following section will present the results of the <br />archaeological files search, discuss previous work in <br />the project vicinity, provide a summary of the regional <br />culture history, and reference pertinent research questions <br />concerning the cultural resources of the area. The project <br />area is on the border between two major cultural/geographic <br />regions in the state: the Rocky Mountains and the Colorado <br />Plateau. In terms of the RP3 cultural overviews, the <br />prehistory of this region is covered by Guthrie et al. (1984) <br />and Grady (1989), while local history is covered by Mehls <br />(1984) and Husband (1984). <br />4.1 RESULTS OF THE FILES SEARCH <br />On June 8, 1987 Mr. Paul D. Friedman, M.A., Assistant <br />Manager of the Archaeology Department of Powers, conducted, <br />in person, a search of the records available at the Office <br />of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, Colorado Historical <br />• Society, Denver. The results of the files search indicated <br />that no previous surveys had been done in the project <br />