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L. <br />• p • <br />UNITED STATED DEPARTHENT OF AGRICOLTURE <br />SOIL CONBERVAT'ION SERVICE <br />SECTION II-E <br />RANGE SITE DESCRIPTION <br />t=ee//fti s - ~ COLORADO FIELD OFFICE <br />Bite Name: Loamy Foothill #202 <br />Bite Number: 049BY202C0 <br />`~ 57~'llia+l.-a/ 1.o~1w~ t3~9 B tl~oPe~ MLRA: 498 <br />~.~ <br />(,~1~1~,~ ! -' ~sz.rz re.~ Date Approved: November 1989 <br />A. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS <br />1. PhY9~ioQraph~.c Features <br />Topography varies from rolling hills to narrow valleys to <br />large open flats. Slopes generally range from nearly level to <br />20 percent. Elevation ranges from 5000 to 7000 feet. <br />2. Climatic Features <br />a. Precipitation averages 12 to 17 inches annually with 60 <br />to 70 percent falling during the growing season. The <br />amount of snowfall averages 50 inches annually. Snows <br />during March and April can amount to significant <br />moisture in some years. Early spring snows and high <br />intensity summer thunderstorms followed by hot, dry <br />periods are a common occurrence. <br />Jan Feb Har Apr Hay Jun Jul Auq Sep Oct Nov Dec <br />0.4 0.6 1.0 1.7 2.2 1.9 1.9 1.7 I.3 0.9 0.7 0.4 <br />b. The optimum growing season for the major forage species <br />is spring and early summer. Cool season plants begin <br />growth approximately April 1 and the warm season plants <br />begin growth May 1 and after. The length of the growing <br />season range from 120 to 150 days with average frost <br />dates occurring on May 1~ and October 1. The average <br />annual temperature is 49 F with the hottest temperatures <br />occurring during the months of July and August. <br />3. Native (Climax Potential) Vegetation <br />a. The plant community is about 75 to 85 percent grasses, 10 <br />to 15 percent fortis and 5 to 10 percent shrubs. This <br />site has a rolling grassland aspect with mid-grasses <br />dominating. Western wheatgrass, and Green needlegrass <br />dominate the plant community and produce about 50. <br />percent or more of the climax vegetation. Plants such <br />as blue grama, prairie junegrass, sun sedge, bottlebxush <br />squirreltail, Indian ricegrass, big bluestem, Griffith <br />wheatgrass, drummond milkvetch, and fringed sagebrush <br />are secondary in the plant community. <br />~~ <br />