Lands with Wilderness Characteristics: Thirtyone Mile Mountain

Transcription

1 Lands with Wilderness Characteristics: Thirtyone Mile Mountain Thirtyone Mile Mountain, Royal Gorge Field Office Photo: John Sztukowski The intent of this report is to present objective data to illustrate that the area in question qualifies as Lands with Wilderness Characteristics (LWC), in accordance with Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Manuals 6310 and The information presented in this report meets the minimum standards for review of new information per Manual 6310, and accordingly BLM must review this information and make its findings and documentation of the review process available to the public as soon as practicable. 1

2 Lands with Wilderness Characteristics: Thirtyone Mile Mountain BLM Royal Gorge Field Office, Front Range District BLM Unit Identifier: CO (Thirty-one Mile Mountain) Submitted by: Wild Connections 2168 Pheasant Place, Colorado Springs, CO (719) Prepared by: John Sztukowski, Wildlands Inventory Coordinator, Wild Connections (817) Report Date: March 2015 Table of Contents Map of Thirtyone Mile Mountain LWC... 3 Overview... 4 Discussion of Wilderness Characteristics including Boundary Delineations... 7 I. The Thirtyone Mile Mountain proposed LWC meets the minimum size criteria for roadless lands II. The Thirtyone Mile Mountain proposed LWC is primarily affected by the forces of nature III. The Thirtyone Mile Mountain proposed LWC provides outstanding opportunities for solitude and primitive recreation IV. The Thirtyone Mile Mountain proposed LWC has supplemental values that would enhance the wilderness experience and should be recognized and protected Summary Conclusion Thirtyone Mile Mountain Proposed LWC Waypoints

3 Map of Thirtyone Mile Mountain LWC 3

4 Overview The Thirtyone Mile Mountain proposed Lands with Wilderness Characteristics (LWC) unit consists of approximately 7,500 contiguous acres in central Colorado. This unit is located about 4 miles south of Guffey, CO and about 29 miles northwest of Cañon City, CO, straddling the county line of Fremont and Park counties. This unit ranges from an elevation of approximately 7,800 feet in the southeast unit in Mills Gulch up to 10,295 feet atop Thirtyone Mile Mountain. The proposed LWC supports a diversity of vegetation and much wildlife, bolstered by ecosystems consisting of high elevation mixed forests, montane grasslands, and riparian drainages. The Thirtyone Mile Mountain proposed LWC encompasses Thirtyone Mile Mountain as its centerpiece, along with much of its foothills and drainages. Most of the unit is bordered by private property, particularly to the north and west. The southern boundary is comprised of Mill Gulch Road, a BLM administrative and private road not open to the public, and private property. State Highway 9 defines the eastern boundary, with the exception of the Warmer Gulch State Trust land block, which provides the only public entrance point at Warmer Gulch. This unit supports a diversity of plant and wildlife habitats, due to its topographic variety and varying ecosystems. Montane grasslands are common in this unit, supporting an array of wildflowers, shrubs, and native grasslands. The high elevation areas also consist of mixed forests of Colorado blue spruce and quaking aspen, with bristlecone pine mixing in at the higher elevations. Pinyon pine and ponderosa pine make up the mid-elevation forests found at the lower elevations of the unit. Scrub oak is abundant as well, climbing the hillsides of Thirtyone Mile Mountain. Creeks, tributaries and gulches, particularly Warmer Gulch and Mill Gulch, drain the unit. The Thirtyone Mile Mountain proposed LWC offers extraordinary biological values. The Colorado Natural Heritage Program (CNHP) recognizes one of these tributaries (unnamed) to Mill Gulch and surrounding area, completely encompassed in the proposed LWC, as a biodiversity significant area due to a fair occurrence of the globally vulnerable riparian natural community of water birch/mesic graminoids shrubland in the spring-fed wetland and riparian tributary. The Conservation Science Partners (CSP) recognizes nearly the whole unit, 5,977 acres, as a core area possessing conservation values: important ecologically based indicators of high biodiversity, resilience to climate change, and landscape connectivity. This is one of only six core conservation areas that CSP identified in the RGFO region. The Thirtyone Mile Mountain proposed LWC has high habitat and range values for many wildlife, including Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, black bear, elk, mule deer, pronghorn, mountain lion, and the threatened and endangered species Canadian lynx. Valued bird species identified in this area include the wild turkey. Opportunities for solitude and primitive recreation are abundant in the 7,500 acre contiguous roadless area that forms the proposed Thirtyone Mile Mountain LWC. The high elevation mixed forests and grasslands provide extensive opportunity for solitude in the forms of isolation, remoteness, lack of visitation and vegetative screening. Primitive recreation abounds in all 4

5 seasons, including hunting, hiking, snowshoeing, wildlife viewing, bird watching, horseback riding, and photography. The BLM inventoried this unit in 2012, identified as unit COF (Thirty-one Mile Mountain). In their report, the BLM identified an area of 7,136.4 acres (delineated by the yellow line in the above map) and did not find wilderness characteristics due to the affected naturalness of accumulative man-made impacts. The impacts cited are off-highway vehicle (OHV) use, timber sales and vegetative treatment projects, old inactive mining activity, and rangeland management features of stock tanks, drift fences, gates, routes, and developed springs. While the Thirtyone Mile Mountain LWC does have the above minor human impacts within the unit, they do not affect the natural integrity or the apparent naturalness of the unit overall (BLM Manual 6310, p 6-7). Most of these impacts are concentrated in specific areas of the unit, particularly along Warmer Gulch Road, which will be removed from the unit as a Wilderness Inventory Road. The numerous OHV routes that the BLM report referenced show sparse use, are not man-made, and furthermore can be mitigated with signs on the ground specifying use in the area. The evidence of the timber sale has decreased considerably since the BLM did their inventory in the spring of The harvesting machinery cited in the BLM s report has since been removed, with the routes showing considerable revegetation. The timber harvest sites and vegetation treatment projects went largely unobserved in Wild Connections inventory, and furthermore, the BLM did not provide any evidence of such in their LWC report for COF The same holds true for the former mining activity: the BLM did not provide evidence of such in their report and it went unnoticeable on the ground, with the exception of one historic site off the southern boundary, Mill Gulch Road. If one was assessing the BLM s report based on the field photopoint evidence required in BLM Manual 6310, one would assume that they were making the case for lands with wilderness characteristics as their photos do not provide the evidence required to dismiss this 7,500 acre unit for accumulative man-made impacts. The BLM photopoints for this unit reference Warmer Gulch Road (which will be removed as a cherrystem), two small stock tanks (which are considered minor human impacts okay for naturalness), and revegetated routes stemming from Warmer Gulch Road. They provide no evidence for the OHV use, timber harvest and vegetative treatment projects, and former mining activity. Furthermore, most of these impacts were not observed on the ground in Wild Connections extensive inventories and therefore can be deduced that if these impacts are within the unit, they do not affect the apparent naturalness of the 7,500 acre unit overall. The boundaries the BLM identified generally align with Wild Connections inventory. However there is an area to the northwest that is contiguous with the overall unit. It appears the BLM has removed it due to a route to private property, however this route does not meet the definition of a road according to BLM Manual 6310, and will remain within the unit as a way to access the private property inholding, which will be removed from the proposed LWC. BLM's Manual 6310 states that the boundary delineation for a LWC unit "is generally based on the presence of Wilderness Inventory Roads" but can also be based on property lines between 5

6 different types of land ownership or on developed rights of way (Manual 6310, p 4). These were the parameters Wild Connections used to determine the boundaries of the Thirtyone Mile Mountain proposed LWC. Only after the true boundaries of the contiguous roadless unit are identified can an objective and thorough assessment of that unit's wilderness characteristics be made. In the spring of 2013, Wild Connections produced a preliminary boundary delineation for this unit based on the size and contiguity requirements stated in Manual 6310 (p 6). During the spring of 2013 and the fall of 2014, Wild Connections' mapping teams visited the Thirtyone Mile Mountain proposed LWC to conduct in-depth, on-the-ground inventories of this unit. Our goal was to assess this area for wilderness characteristics, based on BLM's Manual 6310, and report our findings to the BLM's Royal Gorge Field Office in efforts to identify potential wilderness areas to expand "wildlands" corridors in central Colorado. Additionally we have reviewed the 2012 BLM RGFO inventory and 2013 report and have made assessments and adjustments based on our in-depth field inventories. This report offers new in-depth data and information, including photo, narrative, and georeferenced data, supporting the Thirtyone Mile Mountain proposed LWC. The boundary delineations and narratives describing the wilderness characteristics found within this unit are detailed below. Waypoints (many with photos) are referenced throughout this report; the photos with geo-data, time and date stamp, description, and page number can be found at the end of the report, akin to the one shown below. Thirtyone Mile Mountain (22) - S Sangre de Cristo Mountain range over interior unit (p. 14) 6

7 Discussion of Wilderness Characteristics including Boundary Delineations I. The Thirtyone Mile Mountain proposed LWC meets the minimum size criteria for roadless lands. The Thirtyone Mile Mountain proposed LWC comprises approximately 7,500 contiguous roadless acres, surpassing the minimum size criteria of 5,000 acres to qualify for wilderness, as specified in BLM s Manual 6310 (p 6). With regard to route determination, this manual states that a "way" maintained solely by the passage of vehicles does not constitute a "road" for purposes of inventorying wilderness characteristics. A "way" that is used on a continuous and regular basis still does not constitute a road. Additionally, a vehicle route that was constructed by mechanical means, but is no longer being maintained by mechanical methods is also not a road. By comparison, a Wilderness Inventory Road (WIR) is a vehicle road that has "been improved and maintained by mechanical means to ensure relatively regular and continuous use" (Manual 6310, p 11). Wild Connections' inventory of this area assesses routes that are or are not considered WIRs based on the above definitions from Manual Routes that did meet the criteria for WIRs were removed from the unit as cherrystems. There is one public access point into the Thirtyone Mile Mountain proposed LWC, as the majority of the unit is bordered by private property. The eastern boundary is completely bordered by State Highway 9, with the exception of the Warmer Gulch State Land Trust block, which provides the only public entrance into the unit at Waypoint 1 for Warmer Gulch Road. The road forks soon into BLM land, with Warmer Gulch and Warmer Gulch Road traversing northwest into the unit. Warmer Gulch Road appears to have been constructed by mechanical means, is maintained, and regular and continuous, as evidenced in Waypoint 6, and is considered to be a WIR that will be removed from the unit as a cherrystem. Warmer Gulch Road shows considerably less use the further it is traversed into the unit. Warmer Gulch Road is identified as a cherrystem until Waypoint 8, where it meets a locked gate and fence line. As seen in the photopoint, the route has left the gulch and is heavily revegetated as it continues westward. Furthermore the route at this point was not mechanically constructed, shows no signs of maintenance, or regular and continuous use, and will remain within the unit from this point on as a way. One spur route was observed off of Warmer Gulch Road as the WIR. Waypoint 3 views an unmarked route south, showing considerable revegetation. This route diminished a short distance as it climbs the hilltop, as evidenced in Waypoint 4. This route was not created by mechanical means, not maintained, nor regular and continuous, and will remain within the unit as a way. Note this route was not observed on the ground eighteen months later when Wild Connections revisited this unit. The route from Warmer Gulch continues as a way past the locked gate on the montane grassland to Waypoint 9, where it comes to a pair of intersections. The unmarked route heading south, turns east and soon meets private property at Waypoint 11, complete with a locked gate and No Trespassing sign at the boundary. There was a faded Leaving Public Lands sign observed as well on the fence line. 7

8 As referenced in Waypoint 9, there is a second intersection just south for an east-west junction. The eastern route parallels Warmer Gulch south through a high-elevation mixed forest for a little over one-half mile to Waypoint 15, where it comes to an end. Waypoint 14 views a short social route that spurs south off of this route along the forest line and then dissipates into the grassland. The western route from the aforementioned intersection leads to the private property inholding, about three-quarters a mile away, at Waypoint 12. This private property inholding also has a route that heads north and another that heads south, from its western boundary. The southern route was inventoried by the BLM as CO B, a recognized Right-of-Way (ROW) that has been mechanically constructed and recently maintained. This route will be treated as a WIR and removed from the unit as a cherrystem. The northern route was not inventoried by the BLM, nor given a ROW status, and will remain within the unit as a way. This in turn connects nearly 400 BLM contiguous roadless acres to the west with the overall Thirtyone Mile Mountain proposed LWC. The unmarked routes from Warner Gulch Road on the hilltop in BLM land were not constructed by mechanical means, not maintained, and are not regular and continuous, and will therefore remain within the units as ways. While there are a few routes concentrated in this section of the unit, they are largely unnoticeable. Waypoint 10 (right) views these routes from the hill to the north, particularly of the Warmer Gulch route and the east-west route above it, barely distinguishable linear features from just a few hundred feet away. These ways do not impact the overall naturalness of the unit. Thirtyone Mile Mountain (10) - S Routes on grassland barely discernible below to the south; view of Thirtyone Mile Mountain (p. 8) The route that heads southwest from the junction near the eastern entrance at Warmer Gulch Road also leads to water troughs and other spur routes, however shows considerably less use and mechanical construction. This is evidenced where the route comes to a junction at Waypoint 16 and as it ends just west of here at Waypoint 19 with a Road Closed sign at a water trough in the woods. Just before this route ends, there is a revegetated graded route that heads north at Waypoint 18, closed with boulders, a ditch, and a fence. The route that heads south from the above junction comes to a junction itself a short distance at Waypoint 21, with both routes heavily revegetated social trails as evidenced in the photopoint. The faded route heading into the distance dissipates on the hilltop, providing excellent views of the interior unit and surrounding mountains. The other route continues to the next finger hill, 8

9 ending at Waypoint 23, which views the user created route leading up to here, under Thirtyone Mile Mountain. This route is only visible in the near vicinity, as it blends into the hillside as seen in the photopoint. Waypoint 24, also taken from the end of this route, views north toward the previous intersection and hill with OHV route, however no linear features are discernible. This concludes the route analysis for the section of the unit accessed via Warmer Gulch. As evidenced, there are a few motorized routes in this section, however only Warmer Gulch Road can be defined as a Wilderness Inventory Road according to BLM Manual Furthermore, given that most of these routes were not mechanically constructed and with the rolling topography of the unit, they are not visible unless in their near vicinity and thus do not impact the naturalness of the overall unit. Even Warmer Gulch Road is not visible unless right on top of it given how it follows the natural contours of Warmer Gulch and remains hidden by the hillsides it cuts through. Routes outside of the Warmer Gulch area in the Thirtyone Mile Mountain proposed LWC are accessed by the southern boundary road, Mill Gulch Road, via an eastern entrance at Waypoint 33 along Highway 9. Mill Gulch Road is locked and gated, providing administrative access for the BLM and a ROW for the Mill Gulch subdivision residents. There are no signs stating whether this road accesses private or public land, however there are BLM public land signs along the road past the entrance as the road traverses west along a private-public land boundary. There are three routes that head north into BLM land from Mill Gulch Road, and all three were observed to service rangeland management features. The first route north from Mill Gulch Road is about two miles west of the entrance from Highway 9 at Waypoint 35, via an unlocked gate with an unmarked revegetated route that was not constructed by mechanical use and does not show much use. This route traverses the grassland and then into a gulch past one earthen dam and ending at the second at Waypoint 37. This route was not inventoried by the BLM. It will remain within the unit as a way. About one mile west along Mill Gulch Road, there is a junction for a short route into the interior at Waypoint 38. This is a user created route that also does not show much use, and can only be accessed by an ATV (or narrow vehicle) passed Waypoint 39, due to the narrow opening in the fence line. This photopoint also displays the condition of the route, not created by mechanical means and not regular and continuous, as it will remain within the unit as a way. Boundary road, Mill Gulch Road, comes to an unlocked gate at Waypoint 41, and then a short distance thereafter to a locked gate with an unlocked side gate for foot and horse traffic at Waypoint 42. A closed gated route was observed at Waypoint 43, however this appears not to have seen use, motorized or non-motorized, for quite some time. The third motorized route into the interior, and longest, is located at Waypoint 44. This route shows light but recent use, but was not created by mechanical means, nor is regular and continuous, and will remain within the unit as a way. It ends about a mile into the unit interior at Waypoint 46, dissipating gradually amid groves of Gambel scrub oak. Waypoint 45 views down the valley that this route came from, however as evidenced in the photopoint, the linear feature is hardly noticeable, with naturalness of the interior unit (and beyond) dominating the perspective. 9

10 Mill Gulch Road continues west until meets private property at Waypoint 56, at a locked gate with a Private Road sign and BLM Leaving Public Lands sign. Just prior to this is a junction at Waypoint 55, however this route meets an unmarked locked gate a short distance, as viewed in the photopoint, and leads northwest into private property soon after that. II. The Thirtyone Mile Mountain proposed LWC is primarily affected by the forces of nature. The Thirtyone Mile Mountain proposed LWC is primarily affected by the forces of nature, with human impacts considerably unnoticeable within the unit. Motorized public access to the unit is limited to one public access point, with motorized use within the unit quite restricted. Other routes found within the unit showed a lack of motorized use and an overall apparent lack of regular use, with the forces of nature reclaiming many of the former routes. Human impacts that were observed in the proposed LWC were minor and will be detailed at the end of this section. The proposed LWC offers a mixture of vegetation types, due to the topographic variety and diverse ecosystems found within this unit. High-elevation mixed forests of Colorado blue spruce and quaking aspen are common among the montane grassland, as exemplified in Waypoint 29 (right) taken atop Thirtyone Mile Mountain. Bristlecone pines are also common at these high elevations, which can also be viewed in the above photopoint. Waypoint 13 views this same landscape from the northwest unit, looking up at the forested Thirtyone Mile Mountain ridgeline. Old and new growth ponderosa pine mix into the vegetation in the middle elevations, particularly near the drainages. Waypoint 5 views an open ponderosa woodland on a hillside above Warmer Gulch. Waypoint 52, Thirtyone Mile Mountain (29) - S High elevation mixed forests of aspen and blue spruce are common among the unit s montane grasslands (p. 10) taken in Mill Gulch in the southwest unit, illustrates the cottonwoods and willows (and ponderosa pine) that make up the riparian areas. A pinyon-juniper-woodlands, Gambel scrub oak shrublands dominates the lower elevation areas in this unit. This vegetation is viewed in Waypoint 34 from one of the lowest elevation points in the unit (7,886 ft), looking up a drainage toward Thirtyone Mile Mountain and the interior unit. A large portion of the unit, in the southeast, appears to be nearly completely untrammeled by man as it is devoid of even minor human impacts. Waypoint 25 views down into this section of the unit from atop the eastern foothills of Thirtyone Mile Mountain. 10

11 Much of Wild Connections inventory in the Thirtyone Mile Mountain proposed LWC revealed naturalness characteristics, however there were some minor human impacts noted as well. Most of the human impacts found in this unit are non-mechanically constructed routes, serving rangeland management. Assessment of these routes can be found in the above section. Warmer Gulch Road services a couple of spring developments with water troughs at Waypoint 2 and Waypoint 7. Note how revegetated Warmer Gulch Road is at this past point, just prior to the WIR becoming a way as it traverses up the grassland hillside. Furthermore these impacts are small, and even Warmer Gulch Road itself (which will be removed from the unit as a cherrystem) does not affect the naturalness of the unit as it follows the natural linear features of Warmer Gulch. Waypoint 30 views this section of the unit from above on Thirtyone Mile Mountain. No human impacts can be seen, as they are somewhere in the lower drainages of the interior unit s rolling hills. Three water troughs were also observed in the eastern portion of the unit, accessed from the first junction at Warmer Gulch Road near the eastern entrance. These can be viewed in Waypoints 17, 20, and 19, all off of heavily revegetated routes that were not constructed by mechanical means. Waypoint 24 views this section from a hilltop just south, however no linear features or minor human impacts are visible. The southern boundary road, Mill Gulch Road, provides the other access for the rangeland management features found in the unit interior. There are four features just north into the unit accessed from primitive routes via the approximate 6.5 mile boundary road. A couple of earthen dams were observed at Waypoints 36 and 37 at the easternmost of these routes, ending at the northern dam. Cattle were observed at a water trough at the next (west) drainage with route (Waypoint 40). No rangeland management features were observed off of the longest route into the unit interior, however a spring development and water trough were observed north of the route at Waypoint 47. Lastly, an earthen dam and pond were observed in Mill Gulch in the southwestern portion of the unit, just off the Mill Gulch boundary road at Waypoint 50. Of note, these routes were not constructed by mechanical means, show much vegetation in the route, and they follow drainages within the unit, blending in with the natural landscape. Waypoint 26 views south down the drainage with the longest route into the interior, however the route and minor human impacts are unnoticeable. The same holds true for all of these southern access routes in the Thirtyone Mile Mountain proposed LWC. OHV use was observed on some of these routes, however nothing glaring was observed as the routes are predominantly covered in vegetation. Furthermore, OHV use can be mitigated with signs on the ground as not one route was marked in the unit interior. In sum, while there are minor human impacts in the form of routes, OHV use, and rangeland management features throughout the unit, these are examples of human-made features that are considered substantially unnoticeable and thus do not hinder wilderness characteristics (BLM Manual 6310, p 6). The BLM also references timber sales and vegetative treatment projects in the unit, primarily accessed from Warmer Gulch Road. However the timber harvest sites and vegetation treatment projects went mostly unnoticed in Wild Connections inventories. There were some indications of logging, however the stumps observed indicate that this happened some time ago. Furthermore the BLM did not provide any evidence of either timber harvests or vegetation treatment in their 11

12 LWC report for COF Additionally the large machinery and large slash piles appeared to have been removed since the BLM conducted their inventory in the summer of Similarly the BLM also cites inactive mining activity in their report, however do not provide photo, narrative, or geo-data to support this. An old mine and abandoned structure was observed at Waypoint 49, just off the southern boundary road, Mill Gulch Road. However given the perceived age of this structure, it should be considered historical and thus adds value to the unit. Nevertheless, if the BLM does view this has as a human impact affecting naturalness, it can easily be removed from the unit, given its close proximity to the boundary road. Wild Connections agrees that there are minor human impacts within the Thirtyone Mile Mountain proposed LWC, however what was found and inventoried does not affect the natural integrity or the apparent naturalness of the unit overall (BLM Manual 6310, p 6-7). III. The Thirtyone Mile Mountain proposed LWC provides outstanding opportunities for solitude and primitive recreation. The Thirtyone Mile Mountain proposed LWC offers many opportunities for solitude and primitive and unconfined recreation. Given the topographic variety, the few entry points, lack of designated trails (motorized and non-motorized), and observed lack of overall use, there are vast opportunities for solitude. The highelevation mixed forests found throughout the unit provide excellent screening from unnatural sights and sounds. Waypoint 27 (right) illustrates the vegetative cover common throughout much of the unit. Furthermore, the lack of visitation to the unit overall provides outstanding opportunities for respite and remoteness just about anywhere in the proposed LWC. Thirtyone Mile Mountain (27) - E High-elevation mixed forests provide excellent vegetative screening for outstanding opportunities for solitude (p. 12) Consisting of over 7,500 acres of contiguous unroaded wilderness land, the proposed LWC offers a variety of primitive and unconfined recreational opportunities as well. There are outstanding opportunities for hunting, hiking, snowshoeing, wildlife viewing, bird watching, and photography. A couple of hunters were observed in the unit coming from the southern boundary, one returning to his vehicle off the primary southern drainage route, viewed from Waypoint 48. Another was observed in the southwest unit, hunting for elk, just out of view at Waypoint 51. The Thirtyone 12

13 Mile Mountain proposed LWC provides valuable range and population area for elk; high value animal species and habitat are documented in the section below under supplemental values. IV. The Thirtyone Mile Mountain proposed LWC has supplemental values that would enhance the wilderness experience and should be recognized and protected. Wild Connections inventory of the Thirtyone Mile Mountain proposed LWC indicates numerous supplemental values that contribute to the overall experience of visiting this area and provide additional evidence that this unit's unique qualities should be recognized and protected. The majority of these values support the area s regional ecological importance and rich biodiversity. The supplemental values presented below are not intended to be exhaustive, rather a summarization of some of the widely known significant values for which basic data was available to complement our on-the-ground inventory. The proposed LWC possesses extraordinary biological values. The Colorado Natural Heritage Program (CHNP) identified a 241 acre area encompassed in the southern portion of the unit around one of the tributaries to Mil Gulch as a Potential Conservation Area (PCA) due to moderate biodiversity significance. The tributary is unnamed, however is located in the drainage where Waypoints 39 and 40 were taken. The biodiversity significance in this area is due to a fair occurrence of the globally vulnerable, state imperiled riparian natural community of water birch/mesic graminoids (Betula occidentalis/ mesic graminoids) shrubland in the spring-fed wetland and riparian tributary. The Conservation Science Partners (CSP) recently concluded an extensive study on unprotected roadless BLM lands in the West that possess important ecologically based indicators of high biodiversity, resilience to climate change, and landscape connectivity. The indicators used included species richness, vegetation community diversity, surface water availability, topographic complexity, landscape naturalness, landscape permeability, and eco-regional protection. The results of CSP s approach aimed to quantify conservation value of BLM lands. CSP s computations recognizes Thirtyone Mile Mountain, consisting of 5,977 roadless contiguous acres, to be a core area possessing these conservation values, one of only six areas identified in the entire RGFO region. The Thirtyone Mile Mountain proposed LWC provides high habitat and range values for many wildlife species. Rocky Mountain Wild s (RMW) Assessment of Biological Impact (ABI) documented the following mammals and associated values within the unit: mountain lion (Puma concolor) overall range; black bear (Ursus americanus) overall range, summer concentration, and fall concentration; Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis Canadensis) overall range, summer range, and winter range; mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) overall range, summer range, winter range, and severe winter range; pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) overall range and winter range; elk (Cervus Canadensis) overall range, resident population area, summer range, winter range, severe winter range, winter concentration area, and a small portion of summer concentration area; Aberts squirrel (Sciurus aberti) overall range, Brazilian free tailed bat 13

14 (Tadarida brasiliensis) overall range, and Gunnison s prairie-dog (Cynomys gunnisoni) overall range. Gunnison s prairie-dog is noteworthy as it is listed as a species of most concern by the US Wildlife Conservation and Restoration Program s (WCRP) Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy (CWCS), as well as listed as Colorado BLM sensitive. The Brazilian free tailed bat is a Colorado state ranked critically imperiled species. Rocky Mountain Wild s ABI assessment also identifies valued bird species in the area. Wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) take refuge in this unit, with an overall range, winter range, and winter concentration area. A grouse, presumable a dusky grouse, was also observed in the unit, atop the southern end of the Thirtyone Mile Mountain ridgeline. Several other animal species or indications of species were observed in the Thirtyone Mile Mountain proposed LWC. A herd of elk were observed crossing over the Thirtyone Mile Mountain ridgeline, as viewed in Waypoint 28. Mule deer were observed in the eastern portion of the unit near Waypoint 4, however not photodocumented. Their scat and tracks were observed throughout the unit. Bear scat was also observed, in the southern portion of the unit up one of the drainages. There are exceptional scenic views from within the proposed LWC, given the high elevation of the unit and surrounding landscape. There are great views of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range to the south, as viewed in Waypoint 22 over the interior unit. There are outstanding views Thirtyone Mile Mountain (28) - NW Herd of elk observed crossing over Thirtyone Mile Mountain ridgeline (p. 14) in all direction from atop Thirtyone Mile Mountain. Waypoint 31 views Pikes Peak over the northern portion of the unit from Thirtyone Mile Mountain. Note this views over Warmer Gulch Road and the routes above on the montane grassland, however they are not viewable from above or elsewhere in the unit. The Wet Mountains to the south-southwest are in view as well, as evidenced in Waypoint 32, which also shows a great view of the naturalness common in the unit interior, from Thirtyone Mile Mountain. There are historical buildings and structures in the proposed LWC as well, adding supplemental value to the unit. As documented previously, there is an old mining structure over a mine in the southeast unit at Waypoint 49, just off of the southern boundary road, Mill Gulch Road. A couple other historical structures, former cabins, were observed in the unit west of here along Mill Gulch Road, at Waypoints 53 and

15 The 7,500 acre proposed wilderness also offers disparate geology in this area, which constitutes a noteworthy supplemental value. Thirtyone Mille Mountain is formed from Tertiary volcanic activity. Much of the mountain and surrounding high elevation areas consist of plutonic rock (phaneritic). The volcanic flow appears to have continued west as the western boundary of the unit is composed of sandstone and conglomerate from the same age with ash-flow tuff found in the northwestern corner of the unit, also from the Tertiary Age. The remainder of the unit, east and south of Thirtyone Mile Mountain, represents older geology in the area, biotite gneiss and schist from the Early Proterozoic Age. Granite and granodiorite mix in as well in the southeast unit from this age. The above geological data was obtained from the United States Geological Survey's (USGS) Mineral Resources on-line spatial data, selected for Colorado's geology. Summary Conclusion Based on Wild Connections' extensive on-the-ground inventories, the Thirtyone Mile Mountain proposed LWC qualifies as Land with Wilderness Characteristics (LWC) in accordance with BLM's Manual This unit exceeds the 5,000 contiguous roadless acreage minimum as the proposed LWC offers more than 7,500 contiguous roadless acres. Given the size of the unit, lack of significant human impacts, disparate topography, diverse ecosystems, and abundant wildlife, the Thirtyone Mile Mountain proposed LWC offers outstanding wilderness characteristics - including apparent naturalness and outstanding opportunities for solitude and primitive and unconfined recreation. The boundaries identified by the BLM generally align with Wild Connection s inventory. As documented in the boundary delineation section, Wild Connections believes that the unit can be expanded to the northwest, as the private property inholding only has a documented ROW to the south, leaving the route to the north as a way, and thus encompassing nearly 400 additional contiguous roadless acres to the Thirtyone Mile Mountain proposed LWC. Wild Connections did find wilderness characteristics in this unit, as opposed to the BLM report, which discounted it due to the accumulation of minor human impacts affecting naturalness. The BLM inventory however was completely isolated to the cherrystem road, boundary road, and routes within the unit, neglecting to acknowledge the overwhelming naturalness features that dominate the majority of the unit. As documented in this report, much of the proposed LWC consists of untrammeled wilderness, with the minor human impacts largely out of view. Vegetated routes, OHV use, fences, gates, signs, rangeland management, and historical structures were observed within the unit. Nevertheless, these are minor human impacts, consistent with BLM Manual 6310, as the natural integrity and the apparent naturalness of the proposed LWC in total are not compromised. The BLM also referenced old mining activity in the unit. However the only mine site observed was in the southwest unit just off the southern boundary road, Mill Gulch Road, and is part of a greater historical structure. This could easily be removed from the unit if the BLM found this to be a human impact. In the same vein, the BLM cited timber harvest sites and vegetation treatment 15

16 projects in their report, however they went largely unobserved in Wild Connections inventory. Furthermore, the BLM did not provide any evidence of such in their LWC report for COF Wild Connections extensive on-the-ground inventory has documented the necessary boundaries as well as the wilderness characteristics within the unit. This overview provides new information, including narrative, photo, and geo data, and supporting maps, documenting that the approximately 7,500 acre Thirtyone Mile Mountain proposed LWC meets wilderness criteria. This area possesses Lands with Wilderness Characteristic status and its wilderness values should be protected and preserved. It is imperative that the BLM recognize and protect these values in their land management decisions, so that these unique and abundant wilderness qualities are sustained. 16

17 Thirtyone Mile Mountain Proposed LWC Waypoints The following photographs correspond with the numbered Waypoints on the above Thirtyone Mile Mountain map and may be referred to in the report narrative describing the wilderness characteristics. The direction of view (16 point Cardinal) is indicated in the bolded caption. Below this is a short description of the photo, with the referenced page number(s) in parenthesis. The photos are also watermarked with the direction (degrees and cardinal) in the top right, date and time in the bottom right, elevation in the bottom center, and the latitude and longitude in the bottom left. Thirtyone Mile Mountain (1) - SW Only motorized public access at Warmer Gulch Rd via State Land Trust block (p. 7) Thirtyone Mile Mountain (2) - WSW Spring development and water trough off Warmer Gulch Rd in E unit (p. 11) 17

18 Thirtyone Mile Mountain (3) - S Revegetated spur route at Warmer Gulch Rd (p. 7) Thirtyone Mile Mountain (4) - NNW Route dissipates shortly atop hill (p. 7,14) Thirtyone Mile Mountain (5) - SE Old growth ponderosa pine in E unit (p. 10) Thirtyone Mile Mountain (6) - ESE Cherrystem road, Warmer Gulch Rd (p. 7) 18

19 Thirtyone Mile Mountain (7) - NNW Water trough off heavily vegetated Warmer Gulch Rd (p. 11) Thirtyone Mile Mountain (8) - NNW End of Warmer Gulch Rd at locked gate; Way begins beyond fence line (p. 7) Thirtyone Mile Mountain (9) - SSW Warmer Gulch route at a pair of intersections (p. 7,8) Thirtyone Mile Mountain (10) - S Routes on grassland barely discernible below to the south; view of Thirtyone Mile Mountain (p. 8) 19

20 Thirtyone Mile Mountain (11) - NE End of vegetated route NE into private property (p. 7) Thirtyone Mile Mountain (12) - WSW End of Warmer Gulch route into private inholding (p. 8) Thirtyone Mile Mountain (13) - SE View of interior grassland and forested Thirtyone Mile ridgeline from NW unit (p. 10) Thirtyone Mile Mountain (14) - N Spur route at revegetated route in grasslands of the N unit (p. 8) 20

21 Thirtyone Mile Mountain (15) - SE End of route through forest that parallels Warmer Gulch above to the south (p. 8) Thirtyone Mile Mountain (16) - SW End of Warmer Gulch route into private inholding (p. 8) Thirtyone Mile Mountain (17) - WNW Water trough in vegetative cover in E unit (p. 11) Thirtyone Mile Mountain (18) - NE Closed revegetated graded route in E unit (p. 8) 21

22 Thirtyone Mile Mountain (19) - SSW Route ends at water trough with Road Closed sign (p. 8,11) Thirtyone Mile Mountain (20) - S Water trough off route in E unit (p. 11) Thirtyone Mile Mountain (21) - NE Revegetated route juncture in E unit (p. 8) Thirtyone Mile Mountain (22) - S Sangre de Cristo Mountain range over interior unit (p. 14) 22

23 Thirtyone Mile Mountain (23) - WNW End of unmarked route atop hill, looking back at route and Thirtyone Mile Mountain (p. 9) Thirtyone Mile Mountain (24) - N View N of vegetated routes; no linear features observable on the ground (p. 9,11) Thirtyone Mile Mountain (25) - SE Untrammeled naturalness of SE unit from E foothills of Thirtyone Mile Mountain (p. 10) Thirtyone Mile Mountain (26) - S View S down drainage with longest route into interior from Mill Gulch Rd, no linear features observed on the ground (p. 11) 23

24 Thirtyone Mile Mountain (27) - E High-elevation mixed forests provide excellent vegetative screening for outstanding opportunities for solitude (p. 12) Thirtyone Mile Mountain (28) - NW Herd of elk observed crossing over Thirtyone Mile Mountain ridgeline (p. 14) Thirtyone Mile Mountain (29) - S High elevation mixed forests of aspen and blue spruce are common among the unit s montane grasslands (p. 10) Thirtyone Mile Mountain (30) - N View N over Warmer Gulch and interior unit from Thirtyone Mile Mountain, no linear features observed from above (p. 11) 24

25 Thirtyone Mile Mountain (31) - NE View of Pikes Peak over northeastern unit; from atop Thirtyone Mile Mountain (p. 14) Thirtyone Mile Mountain (32) - SW View Wet Mountains to the SW and naturalness common in the unit interior (p. 14) Thirtyone Mile Mountain (33) - S S boundary - Mill Gulch Rd, at E boundary - Hwy 9; access is locked and gated, no signs (p. 9) Thirtyone Mile Mountain (34) - NW Pinyon-juniper woodland, Gambel oak scrubland common in lower elevation areas of unit (p. 10) 25

26 Thirtyone Mile Mountain (35) - N Unlocked gate for vegetated route N from S boundary road, Mill Gulch Rd (p. 9) Thirtyone Mile Mountain (36) - S Earthen dam with route through gulch (p. 11) Thirtyone Mile Mountain (37) - NW Gulch route ends at second earthen dam (p. 9,11) Thirtyone Mile Mountain (38) - WNW Junction for unmarked route at Mill Gulch Rd (p. 9) 26

27 Thirtyone Mile Mountain (39) - NW Fence line with opening on revegetated route from Mill Gulch Rd (p. 9,13) Thirtyone Mile Mountain (40) - NW Cattle observed at water trough, past end of route (p. 11,13) Thirtyone Mile Mountain (41) - NNW Unlocked gate at boundary road, Mill Gulch Rd; Keep Gate Closed sign (p. 9) Thirtyone Mile Mountain (42) - W Locked gate at Mill Gulch Rd; unlocked side gate for horse and foot traffic (p. 9) 27

28 Thirtyone Mile Mountain (43) - NE Closed old route at Mill Gulch Rd (p. 9) Thirtyone Mile Mountain (44) - N Junction for revegetated route at Mill Gulch Rd (p. 9) Thirtyone Mile Mountain (45) - SSW View down valley of southern drainage; route is negligible as naturalness dominates the landscape (p. 9) Thirtyone Mile Mountain (46) - S S drainage route dissipates into groves of Gambel oak (p. 9) 28

29 Thirtyone Mile Mountain (47) - ENE Spring development and water trough observed N of S drainage route (p. 11) Thirtyone Mile Mountain (48) - SSE Hunter observed returning to jeep, parked off of S drainage route (p. 12) Thirtyone Mile Mountain (49) - NNE Historic mine and structure observed just N of S boundary road, Mill Gulch Rd (p. 12,14) Thirtyone Mile Mountain (50) - SE Earthen dam and pond observed at Mill Gulch, just N of S boundary road, Mil Gulch Rd (p. 11) 29

30 Thirtyone Mile Mountain (51) - NNW Naturalness observed in S unit; hunter just out of view, hunting for elk (p. 12) Thirtyone Mile Mountain (52) - ESE View of Mill Gulch in S unit; cottonwoods, willows, and ponderosa pine common in riparian areas (p. 10) Thirtyone Mile Mountain (53) - NNW Historic structures, former cabins, observed in S unit, just N of Mill Gulch Rd (p. 14) Thirtyone Mile Mountain (54) - NE Historic structures, former cabins, observed on both sides of Mill Gulch Rd (p. 14) 30

31 Thirtyone Mile Mountain (55) - WNW Mill Gulch Rd at locked gated route in SE unit near E boundary (p. 10) Thirtyone Mile Mountain (56) - WNW Mill Gulch Rd ends into private property at E boundary (p. 10) 31