1986-11-01_PERMIT FILE - C1981008A

• Permit No: C1981008A
• IBM Index Class Name: PERMIT FILE
• Doc Date: 11/1/1986
• Doc Name: Land Use
• Section_Exhibit Name: Tab 4
• Media Type: D
• Archive: Yes

The land use and ownership patterns today are probably a reflection on the early days of
the Colorado Cooperative Company. Mercer (1967) states that individuals were permitted
water rights on up to 40 acres for each share of stock, though it required several shares
of water to adequately irrigate 40 acres. Land ownership today is usually in 40-acre
parcels or multiples thereof. Years of operations and management have resulted in most of
the arable land that can be reached by irrigation to be put into one form of agricultural
production or another. This includes the majority of First Park and a large portion of
Second Park. Irrigation of potential farm lands on Third Park, located across Coal Canyon
north of Second Park has not been carried out because of a lack of a water delivery
system. The extension of the Colorado Cooperative Ditch across Coal Canyon and onto Third
Park would be prohibitive at this time in terms of engineering, construction requirements,
and cost (Mrs. Tom Garvey, personal communication, June 1987).
The areas of deeper, more productive soils within the study and proposed permit areas are
used for hay production, crops such as annual grains and corn silage, and irrigated
pasture. Some of the irrigated hayland and much of the irrigated pasture contain areas of
shallow soils or rock ledges and outcrops at or near the surface (see Tab 6, Geology and
Tab 7, Soils). This places restrictions on management and production. Lands within the
proposed permit area are used for pasture rental, hay sales, as a pasture or hay base, and
support facilities for livestock run on adjacent private and Federal ground during the
spring, summer, and fall, or as hobby or retirement properties. The latter are used to
produce some hay or pasture for the few livestock owned by these operators. Farm ground
on the western portion of the study area is used for production of grain or corn silage,
some of which may be sold as cash crops. Generally, these crops are fed back to livestock
run by the operator. Cropland also occurs within the western portion of the proposed
permit area (central portion of the study area). Six abandoned orchards occur within the
study area, while only one is located within the proposed permit area. Orchards
established early after the establishment of Nucla, were used principally for cash crop
with a large portion of the production going to the mining districts around Telluride. By
the 1940s, the market demand was gone and the orchards were abandoned (James Johnson,
personal communication, May 1987). These orchards are no longer managed and only local
incidental use is made of them now. Some of these orchards may, at least seasonally, be
grazed along with adjacent irrigated pasture. Property ownership and vegetation and
production information for the study and proposed permit area can be found in Tab 3,
Adjudication File and Tab 10, Addendum 10-2, Vegetation Baseline, respectively. Some
hunting of upland game birds may occur on the proposed permit and study areas (see Tab 11,
Fish and Wildlife).
4-8 Revised 04/11/88