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UNITED STATED DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE <br />SOIL CONSERVATION SERVICE <br />SECTION II-E <br />RANGE SITE DESCRIPTION <br />, COLORADO FIELD OFFICE <br />Site Name: <br />site Number: <br />. MLRA: <br />Date Approved: <br />A. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS <br />1. Physiogrn hic Features <br />Clayey Plains #42 <br />067XY042CO <br />67 <br />October 1989 <br />This site occurs on broad plains, terraces and upland ridges. <br />Topography varies from nearly level stream terraces to <br />moderately steep side slopes. Slopes generally range from <br />nearly level to 10 percent. The exposure of the site may be in <br />any direction. Elevation ranges from 3400 to 5600 feet. <br />2. Climatic Features <br />a. Precipitation averages 11 to 15.5 inches annually <br />with 75 to 80 percent being received from April <br />through September. Amount of snowfall averages 32 <br />inches annually. <br />A typical average precipitation pattern follows: <br />Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec <br />0.3 0.3 0.7 1.2 2.3 2.1 2.0 1.6 1.1 0.7 0.4 0.3 <br />b. The optimum growth period.of the native plants is April <br />through June. High intensity summer thunderstorms <br />followed by hot, dry windy periods are a common <br />occurance. These high intensity summer rainstorms often <br />provide little beneficial precipitation to the plant <br />community. The length of. the growing season is 130 to <br />160 days with average frost dates occurring on May 10 <br />.and October 5. she average annual temperature is <br />approximately 50 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 80 to 90 percent (air-dry <br />weight) grasses, 5 to 10 percent forbs and 5 to 10 <br />percent shrubs. western wheatgrass, blue grams and green <br />needlegrass dominate the plant community and comprise <br />about 70 percent of the climax vegetation. Plants such <br />as alkali sacaton, buffalo grass, American vetch, sun <br />sedge and fourwing saltbush are secondary in the plant <br />community. Bottlebrush squirreltail, red threeawn, <br />scarlet globemallow, purple prairieclover, winterfat, <br />fringed sagebrush and plains pricklypear occur in small <br />amounts scattered throughout the plant community.