Physiographic features

This site occurs on upland fans, plains, hillslopes and some depressions. They formed in residuum derived from calcareous, moderately saline, and gypsiferous clayey shale, sandstone. Slopes are 0 to 9 percent and average 5 percent. Directions and degree of slope varies and are important. The mean annual precipitation is ranges from 12 to 16 inches. The average annual temperature ranges from 47 to 53 degrees F. Elevation ranges from 5,000 to 7,500 feet above sea level.

Table 2. Representative physiographic features

Climatic features

The climate of this area can be classified as “semi-arid continental”. Precipitation averages 14 to 16 inches. Seventy seven percent of the year’s moisture normally falls during the period of May through October. Practically all of it is brought by brief afternoon and evening thunderstorms. In July and August, normally the wettest months of the year, one can expect about one day in five when rainfall exceeds one-tenth inch. Early spring precipitation in May benefits the cool-season plants. Winter precipitation, supplying 24 percent of the year’s moisture, normally has no more than two days a month with as much as one-tenth inch of moisture. Much of the winter precipitation falls as snow.

Air temperatures vary from a monthly mean of 20 degrees F in January to 69 degrees F in July. Daily high temperatures average in the 80’s and low 90’s during the summer. Winter low temperatures fall below the freezing mark much of the time from November through March with minimum temperatures approaching 25 degrees F below zero. Dates of the last killing frost may vary from May 9th through May 17th, and the first killing frost from September 27th to October 8th. The frost-free season ranges from 141 days to 153 days from early May to early October.

Wind velocities for the area average 10 to 12 miles per hour and prevail from the south and southwest. Generally, March is the windiest month. Strong winds during the spring cause rapid drying of the soil surface.

Nearby mountains to the west intercept much of the precipitation from the Pacific storms coming through this area during the winter. About 70 percent of the 14 to 16 inches of annual precipitation falls in the form of rainfall during the frost-free season. About 40 percent of the annual precipitation benefits cool-season plants, 50 percent benefits warm-season plants and 10 percent falls during the season of plant dormancy. Relative humidity is moderately low. The sun shines approximately 75 percent of the time.

Climate data was obtained from http://www.wrcc.sage.dri.edu/summary/climsmnm.html web site using 50 percent probability for freeze-free and frost-free seasons using 28.5 degrees F and 32.5 degrees F respectively.

Table 3. Representative climatic features

Influencing water features

This site is not influenced by water from a wetland or stream.

Soil features

Soils are moderately deep to deep. Surface textures are silty clay loam, clay loam, and clay. Subsoil and substratum are clay loams, silty clay loams, silty clay and clay. These soils have moderately slow to very slow permeability. Available water-holding capacity is high. Infiltration is slow. Bedrock is at a depth between 20 and 60 inches.
Where good cover and adequate plant residue are lacking, the soils of this site usually develop a nearly impervious, dispersed surface condition, which decreases their low infiltration rate.

Minimum and maximum values listed below represent the characteristic soils for this site.

Characteristic Soils:
Colmor
La Brier
Remunda
Litle
Vermejo
Swastika

Table 4. Representative soil features

Animal community

Habitat for Wildlife:

This site provides habitats which support a resident animal community that is characterized by pronghorn antelope, coyote, black-tailed jackrabbit, black-tailed prairie dog, thirteen-lined ground squirrel, marsh hawk, horned lark, meadowlark, scaled quail, bullsnake, Great Plains skunk, and prairie rattlesnake.

Hydrological functions

The runoff curve numbers are determined by field investigations using hydrologic cover conditions and hydrologic soil groups.

Hydrologic Interpretations
Soil Series------- Hydrologic Group
Carnero----------- C
Colmor------------ B
Litle------------- D
Petri------------- C
Remunda----------- C
Swastika---------- C
Torreon----------- C
Vermejo----------- D

Recreational uses

This site has fair aesthetic appeal because of the open space. This site provides poor camping, hiking and picnicking. Hunting is fair for rabbits and upland game birds. It provides limited use as big game winter range if the site is associated closely with breaks in the physiographic features of the landscape.

Wood products

This site has no significant value for wood products.

Other products

Grazing:

This site can be used any season of the year, however, to utilize the alkali sacaton, grazing should be intensified before the plants mature. Cows and horses are best suited for this site because of the coarse forage produced by alkali sacaton. Approximately 95 percent of the annual yield are from species that furnish forage for grazing animals. Continuous grazing during the growing season will cause the more desirable forage plants such as western wheatgrass, vine mesquite, sideoats grama, and fourwing saltbush to decrease. The species most likely to invade this site is sleepygrass. Species most likely to increase are blue grama, alkali sacaton, buffalograss, creeping muhly, ring muhly, and broom snakeweed. Cholla cactus may also increase. As the ecological condition deteriorates, it is accompanied by a sharp increase in blue grama. Continuous heavy grazing will cause blue grama to form a low, dense turf, which is low in productivity. The plant community may be dominated either by blue grama/galleta and alkali sacaton/galleta. Continuous heavy grazing will result in a loss of vegetative cover causing a large area of denuded soil and the productivity of this site is greatly reduced. Most of the mid-grasses will disappear as deterioration advances. In some areas there may be large patches of sleepygrass and a variety of annual and perennial forbs. A system of deferred grazing, which varies the time of grazing and rest in a pasture during consecutive years, is needed to maintain or improve the plant community. Spring rest from April through June is needed for western wheatgrass to grow and reproduce. This allows alkali sacaton sufficient time to green up before grazing it intensively.

Other information

Other Information:
Guide to Suggested Initial Stocking Rate Acres per Animal Unit Month
Similarity Index------- Ac/AUM
100 - 76--------------- 2.3 – 3.2
75 – 51---------------- 3.1 – 4.4
50 – 26---------------- 4.3 – 8.0
25 – 0----------------- 8.0+

Contributors

Christine Bishop
Don Sylvester
Elizabeth Wright
John Tunberg

Approval

Kendra Moseley, 9/12/2023