NEPA--Environmental Assessment

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