Physiographic features

This site occurs on complex landscape of hills, mesa sides, bajada and narrow valleys. They formed in calcareous old alluvium and eolian sediments from limestone and sandstone. The slopes are usually smooth and range from 0 to 35 percent. Local relief, the difference in elevation of the bottom of the valley to the top of the ridges, is generally less than 500 feet but may be as much as 1,000 feet. Elevation ranges from 5,300 to 7,200 feet above sea level.

Note: Based on the description above, and on the correlation to soil components, it seems likely that this site occurs, in part, on High Plains deposits such as the Ogallala Formation. These deposits of sediment washed out of the Sangre De Cristo Mountains during the Tertiary and Early Quaternary, and are generally dominated by igneous rocks.

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 shallow to moderately deep. Surface textures are loam, stony loam, gravelly silty loam or gravelly loam. Subsurface layers are stony loam, cobbly clay loam, silty clay loam, stony silty clay, silty clay or clay. Clay percent ranges between 19 and 35 percent. Percent calcium carbonate equivalence in the mineralogy control section ranges from 40 to 80 percent. In some pedons the weak cementation is discontinuous. There are boulders and cobbles on some areas. The soils have moderate to slow permeability. The available water-holding capacity is low to high. The effective rooting depth is 10 to 40 inches. Soils along the valley bottom receive added water as runoff from adjacent slopes.

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

Characteristic soil:
Dean
Dioxice
Dumas

Table 4. Representative soil features

Animal community

Habitat for Wildlife: This site provides habitats which support a resident animal community that is characterized by mule deer, coyote, eastern cottontail, grasshopper mouse, brush mouse, great horned owl, red-tailed hawk, plain titmouse, scrub jay, rufous sided towhee, western diamondback rattlesnake, and fence lizard.

There is seasonal use by the blue grouse, turkey, and mountain lion. Band tailed pigeons will flock to these habitats during years of high mast production.

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
Dean---------------- B
Dioxice------------- B
Dumas--------------- B
Penrose Varient----- D

Recreational uses

The site has good aesthetic appeal and natural beauty. It is fair for screening and fair to good for hiking and picnicking. Poor to fair for camping. Hunting for deer is fair to good.

Wood products

Piñon and juniper furnish some firewood. Juniper can be used as fence posts. A limited number of piñon are used for Christmas trees. All are limited due to slopes.

Other products

Grazing:

This site is best suited to be grazed in the spring, summer and fall. Distribution of domestic livestock is a problem on this site due to the slopes. Cattle, horses and sheep tend to graze flatter slopes leaving the steeper slopes ungrazed. Goats are best suited for this site. A younger age of cattle would better utilize the site than the older cows. Approximately 80 percent of the total annual yield are from species, which furnish forage for grazing animals. These species are a large variety of grasses, forbs and shrubs that provide good nutrition for grazing animals. Continuous grazing during the growing season will cause the more desirable forage plants such as little bluestem, big bluestem, sideoats grama, piñon ricegrass, western wheatgrass, and mountain mahogany to decrease. Species most likely to increase are blue grama, oneseed juniper, oak brush, threeawn spp., and ring muhly. As the ecological condition deteriorates, it is accompanied by a sharp increase of oneseed juniper and oak. As further deterioration advances, ground cover is greatly reduced. Oneseed juniper and oak brush may increase to the point where it is dominating the site with very little forage production. A system of deferred grazing, which varies the time of grazing and rest in a pasture during successive years, is needed to maintain the plant community. Late spring and summer rest is especially beneficial to little bluestem, sideoats grama and big bluestem. Rest during April, May, and June is needed to allow piñon ricegrass, western wheatgrass, and other cool-season grasses to grow and reproduce.

Other information

Guide to Suggested Initial Stocking Rate Acres per Animal Unit Month

Similarity Index----- Ac/AUM
100 - 76------------- 3.1 – 4.0
75 – 51-------------- 3.8 – 5.1
50 – 26-------------- 5.0 – 11.7
25 – 0--------------- 11.7+

Type locality

Contributors

Elizabeth Wright
John Tunberg
Christine Bishop
Don Sylvester

Approval

Kendra Moseley, 9/12/2023