NEPA--Environmental Assessment
NEPA--Environmental Assessment
NEPA--Environmental Assessment
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Eureka/California Gulch Allotment<br />
This allotment is located 6 miles northeast of Silverton, Colorado. Eureka Allotment is administered<br />
by the Bureau of Land Management. Elevations on the allotment vary from 9,800 feet to just over<br />
13,400 feet. This allotment contains about 9,300 acres, with about 3,000 acres of private land<br />
consist of mining claims. The terrain consists of high ridges and steep slopes with canyons<br />
throughout rugged mountains. The allotment occurs at the headwaters of the West Fork and the<br />
South Fork of the Animas River. The cover type on the allotment consists of subalpine vegetation<br />
with Engelmann Spruce and subalpine fir plant communities, mountain meadows, and alpine<br />
meadows dominated by numerous grasses and forbs.<br />
The records available do not provide historical use of this allotment. According to Actual Use<br />
Forms that start in 1971, two bands of 1500 sheep each would graze 2 of the 3 pastures of Eureka<br />
Allotment, and rest one every year. The 1982, the records described a 3 pasture deferred rotation to<br />
be grazed by two bands of sheep. In 1992, only one band of sheep began to graze the allotment.<br />
Currently, one band of 1275 sheep graze the Eureka Allotment. The permitted sheep access the<br />
Eureka/California Gulch allotment either by being trucked to and from the corrals at Eureka and then<br />
trailing from those onto the allotment or by utilizing the Ridge Stock Driveway on the Gunnison,<br />
Grand Mesa and Uncompahgre National Forest and Gunnison Field Office.<br />
Flume Allotment<br />
This allotment is located on the northwest portion of the analysis area about 30 miles north of<br />
Durango, Colorado. Elevations vary from 8,000 to 13,700 feet. This allotment contains about<br />
11,800 acres; about 200 acres are private. The terrain consists of high ridges and steep slopes with<br />
canyons throughout the rugged mountains. The cover type on the allotment consists of mixed timber<br />
containing Engelmann spruce, subalpine fir, and aspen, mountain meadows, and alpine meadows<br />
dominated by numerous grasses and forbs.<br />
The Flume allotment has been used for sheep grazing since the settlement of the Animas River<br />
Valley in the 1880’s. Records date back to 1916. During this time, the Cascade Creek drainage was<br />
the Cascade Allotment. From 1916 to 1928, it stocked 1,500 head of sheep from June 16 th through<br />
October 15 th . Then the stocking rate decreased to 1,200 head until 1935, and the sheep grazed until<br />
September 15 th . The next available records start in 1945. Flume Allotment stocked 800 head from<br />
July 1 st to September 20 th , and Cascade Allotment stocked 1,055 head. From 1948 to 1953 the<br />
number decreased to 750 head in both allotments. 1955 was the last year Cascade was stocked with<br />
sheep until it became part of Flume and Engine Creek Allotments. Cascade stocked 925 sheep on<br />
both sides of the Cascade Creek drainage for the full season; this year Flume stocked 750 head. In<br />
1956, the numbers on Flume were increased to 925 until 1964. For the next two years, 800 head<br />
grazed the allotment and then the band number increased to 925 again. In 1969, 900 to 1,000 head<br />
grazed Flume until it was included in the rotation of the adjacent allotment to the east, Engine Creek,<br />
in 1975. Flume and Engine Creek were grazed by one band of 1,150 sheep until 1983. Flume was<br />
last grazed in 1983 without Engine Creek in the rotation. The permit was waived back to the United<br />
States in 1989. The allotment has been vacant since.<br />
The most recent permittee had difficulty grazing Flume due to high predator losses and lack of<br />
controlling the sheep bands due to very steep terrain. A tree seedling plantation was established in<br />
the mid 1980’s, the nonuse and resting of Flume was advantageous to the establishment of this<br />
plantation. During the Missionary Ridge Fire of 2002, a band permitted on a Missionary Ridge<br />
allotment grazed this area. The permitted sheep access the Flume allotment by trailing along US<br />
Hwy 550.<br />
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