Laserfiche WebLink
• <br />1.0 INTRODUCTION <br />The Reservoir Companies Inc. is developing a variety of plans for poieniiel reservoir facilities <br />in the Brea north~st of Lyons Colorado known as Dowe Flats. As a planning tool, an assessment <br />of the biological features of the site has been undertaken by the Reservoir Companies. As part of <br />this inventory, vegetation mapping o(the lowest areas was completed in the Spring of 1987. <br />These areas ere almost entirely used as agricultural lends; only the vegetation of the Limestone <br />Ridge running from north to south through the west central portion of Dowe Flats has a <br />substantial complement of native species. This Brea was deemed to be the only Brea that might be <br />directly affected by reservoir construction that could potentially harbor plant species of special <br />concern. Furthermore, limestone-derived soils are known the world wide to be loceiions where <br />plants near or-be~rond the limits of their major natural range can often be found (the <br />phenomenon of "calciphily", see Braun-Blenquet 1972). Consequently, en inventory of the <br />flora of this limestone ridge was undertaken during the late spring end summer of 1987 in <br />• order to determine the presence or absence of plants rare to the region. <br />Also during 1987, assessments of the value of the Dowe Flats area to wildlife were undertaken <br />by Western Ecosystems Inc. in support of these wildlife assessments, vegetation mapping was <br />expanded io the area extending to the drainage boundaries above Dowe Fiats. <br />• <br />