PERMFILE132157 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

The region is characterized as having a cool desert climate. Precipitation ranges between 10 and 14 inches, although the surrounding mountain areas may receive up to 20 inches. Temperatures range from about 95 degrees F in the summer to -5 degrees F during January. A frost-free period of about 160 days is the maximum (USDA SCS 1978b:401). Paleoenvironmental data for the area are scant, but it is generally agreed that gross climatic conditions have remained fairly constant over the last 12,000 years. Still, changes in effective moisture and cooling/warming trends probably affected the prehistoric occupation of the area. Elevation of the study area ranges between 5020 and 5280 feet, which falls within the Upper Sonoran zone. Vegetation is sparse and includes juniper trees, grasses and desert shrubs. Ground visibility averages about 90 percent in the project area. Regional faunal inhabitants include game species such as elk, deer, and cottontails. Predators--coyotes, mountain • lions, bobcats, weasels, and raptors--are also common. ',~ Files Search A prefield check-in/files search made through the BLM Grand Junction Area Office on 20 April 1992 indicated no cultural resources had been recorded in the study area. However, regional research suggests nearly continuous human occupation of west-central Colorado for the past 12,000 years. Evidence of the Paleoindian Tradition, the Archaic Tradition, Formative Cultures, and Protohistoric/Historic Utes has been found. Historic records suggest occupation or use by Euroamerican trappers, settlers, miners, and ranchers as well. Overviews of the prehistory and history of the region are provided in the Colorado Historical Society's publications entitled West-Central Colorado Prehistoric Context (Reed 1984] and Colorado Plateau Country Historic Context (Husband 1984). Study Objectives The purpose of the study was to identifp and record all cultural resources within the area of potential impact and to assess their significance and eligibility to the National • Register of Historic Places (NRHP). The presence of such resources was considered likely because of the occurrence of sites in similar environmental settings in the surrounding area. '~ . 4 (New 8-28-92)