DOCSLIB.ORG

Approving and Adopting the 2013 Multi-Jurisdictional, Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan WHEREAS, the Board of County Commissioners by Resolution No

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Approving and Adopting the 2013 Multi-Jurisdictional, Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan WHEREAS, the Board of County Commissioners by Resolution No Resolution #2014-040 RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS Ouray County, Colorado RE: Approving and Adopting the 2013 Multi-Jurisdictional, Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan WHEREAS, the Board of County Commissioners by Resolution No. 2008-060 (exhibit B) adopted a Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan (“Plan”) (exhibit A) in 2008 in accordance with the requirements of the federal Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000; and WHEREAS, in order to maintain eligibility for emergency and disaster assistance funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (“FEMA”), the Plan is required to be updated periodically to incorporate new FEMA guidance, and to update local information, resources and hazard mitigation plans; and WHEREAS, in 2013 county staff reconvened the Hazard Mitigation Planning Committee (“HMPC”) comprised of key stakeholders from Ouray County and the participating jurisdictions, including, the City of Ouray, the Town of Ridgway, Log Hill Mesa Fire Protection District, and the Ridgway School District to review and update identified risks and vulnerabilities, and to develop mitigation plans to anticipate and mitigate these risks and vulnerabilities; and WHEREAS, funding for the 2013 Plan (“2013 Plan”) revisions and review process was shared with the State of Colorado providing a grant of $32,370.85, the Colorado Water Conservation Board providing a grant of $5,000, the Town of Ridgway contributing $1,541.67, and the County using $3,083.34 from the general fund; and WHEREAS, following the review and revision process by the HMPC on behalf of the County and participating jurisdictions, the 2013 Plan was vetted through a series of public hearings and committee meetings before its submittal to the Colorado Office of Emergency Management (“COEM”) and FMEA; and WHEREAS, following submittal to COEM and FEMA, each of those agencies reviewed the 2013 Plan and both agencies have approved the 2013 Plan; and WHEREAS, the 2013 Plan must now be approved and adopted by the County and participating jurisdictions so that the goals and objectives of the 2013 Plan can be pursued and accomplished; NOW, THEREFORE, Be It Resolved by the Board of County Commissioners of Ouray County, Colorado, that: 1. The 2013 Multi-Jurisdictional, Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, attached hereto as Exhibit A, is hereby approved and County staff, elected and appointed officials are hereby directed to take necessary actions to implement the goals and objectives, to the extent that funding is available to carry out such goals and objectives. 2. County staff, elected and appointed officials are hereby authorized to implement the 2013 Plan in cooperation with the other participating jurisdictions, and to continue cooperative efforts toward a plan revision, as required by law, in five (5) years. APPROVED AND ADOPTED THIS ____ DAY OF DECEMBER, 2014. Voting for: Voting against: BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF OURAY COUNTY, COLORADO Attest: Lynn M. Padgett , Chair F. Mike Fedel, Vice-Chair Michelle Nauer, Clerk and Recorder Don Batchelder, Commissioner By: Hannah Hollenbeck, Deputy Clerk of the Board Resolution 2014-040 Page 1 of 1 Ouray County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan Comprehensive Update September 2013 Ouray County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan September 2013 Developed by Ouray County with professional planning assistance from AMEC Environment and Infrastructure, Boulder, CO Hazard Mitigation and Emergency Management Programs TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary ................................................................................. iv Chapters 1 Introduction ......................................................................................... 1.1 1.1 Purpose .......................................................................................................................................... 1.1 1.2 Background and Scope................................................................................................................. 1.1 1.3 Plan Organization .......................................................................................................................... 1.3 2 Community Profile .............................................................................. 2.1 2.1 Geography and Climate ................................................................................................................ 2.1 2.2 Population ...................................................................................................................................... 2.5 2.3 History ............................................................................................................................................ 2.5 2.4 Government .................................................................................................................................... 2.6 2.5 Economy ......................................................................................................................................... 2.6 3 Planning Process ................................................................................ 3.1 3.1 Background on Mitigation Planning in Ouray County ................................................................... 3.1 3.2 Plan Section Review and Analysis - 2013 Update .......................................................................... 3.2 3.3 Multi-Jurisdictional Participation ..................................................................................................... 3.4 3.4 The 10-Step Planning Process ......................................................................................................... 3.5 4 Risk Assessment ................................................................................ 4.1 4.1 Hazard Identification .......................................................................................................................... 4.2 4.1.1 Methodology and Results ........................................................................................................... 4.2 4.2 Hazard Profiles ................................................................................................................................... 4.7 4.2.1 Profile Methodology .................................................................................................................... 4.7 4.2.2 Avalanche ................................................................................................................................... 4.8 4.2.3 Dam Failure .............................................................................................................................. 4.15 4.2.4 Debris Flow ............................................................................................................................... 4.18 4.2.5 Drought ..................................................................................................................................... 4.25 4.2.6 Earthquake ............................................................................................................................... 4.32 4.2.7 Extreme Temperatures ............................................................................................................. 4.41 4.2.8 Flooding .................................................................................................................................... 4.48 4.2.9 Landslide/Rockfall .................................................................................................................... 4.62 4.2.10 Lightning ................................................................................................................................. 4.69 4.2.11 Public Health Emergencies .................................................................................................... 4.74 4.2.12 Severe Winter Storm .............................................................................................................. 4.78 4.2.13 Wildfire .................................................................................................................................... 4.84 4.2.14 Windstorm............................................................................................................................... 4.97 4.2.15 Hazard Materials Incident ..................................................................................................... 4.101 4.2.16 Mass Casualty Events .......................................................................................................... 4.104 4.2.17 Imminent Threat ................................................................................................................... 4.106 4.2.18 Hazard Profiles Summary ..................................................................................................... 4.108 Ouray County ii Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan September 2013 4.3 Assessing Vulnerability................................................................................................................. 4.111 4.3.1 Methodology ........................................................................................................................... 4.111 4.3.2 Assets Exposed ...................................................................................................................... 4.112 4.3.3 Development Trends .............................................................................................................. 4.129 4.3.4 Vulnerability by Hazard ..........................................................................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Colorado Fourteeners Checklist
    Colorado Fourteeners Checklist Rank Mountain Peak Mountain Range Elevation Date Climbed 1 Mount Elbert Sawatch Range 14,440 ft 2 Mount Massive Sawatch Range 14,428 ft 3 Mount Harvard Sawatch Range 14,421 ft 4 Blanca Peak Sangre de Cristo Range 14,351 ft 5 La Plata Peak Sawatch Range 14,343 ft 6 Uncompahgre Peak San Juan Mountains 14,321 ft 7 Crestone Peak Sangre de Cristo Range 14,300 ft 8 Mount Lincoln Mosquito Range 14,293 ft 9 Castle Peak Elk Mountains 14,279 ft 10 Grays Peak Front Range 14,278 ft 11 Mount Antero Sawatch Range 14,276 ft 12 Torreys Peak Front Range 14,275 ft 13 Quandary Peak Mosquito Range 14,271 ft 14 Mount Evans Front Range 14,271 ft 15 Longs Peak Front Range 14,259 ft 16 Mount Wilson San Miguel Mountains 14,252 ft 17 Mount Shavano Sawatch Range 14,231 ft 18 Mount Princeton Sawatch Range 14,204 ft 19 Mount Belford Sawatch Range 14,203 ft 20 Crestone Needle Sangre de Cristo Range 14,203 ft 21 Mount Yale Sawatch Range 14,200 ft 22 Mount Bross Mosquito Range 14,178 ft 23 Kit Carson Mountain Sangre de Cristo Range 14,171 ft 24 Maroon Peak Elk Mountains 14,163 ft 25 Tabeguache Peak Sawatch Range 14,162 ft 26 Mount Oxford Collegiate Peaks 14,160 ft 27 Mount Sneffels Sneffels Range 14,158 ft 28 Mount Democrat Mosquito Range 14,155 ft 29 Capitol Peak Elk Mountains 14,137 ft 30 Pikes Peak Front Range 14,115 ft 31 Snowmass Mountain Elk Mountains 14,099 ft 32 Windom Peak Needle Mountains 14,093 ft 33 Mount Eolus San Juan Mountains 14,090 ft 34 Challenger Point Sangre de Cristo Range 14,087 ft 35 Mount Columbia Sawatch Range
    [Show full text]
  • San Juan Landscape Rangeland Environmental Assessment, March
    United States Department of Agriculture Environmental Forest Service Assessment March 2009 San Juan Landscape Rangeland Assessment Ouray Ranger District and Gunnison Ranger District Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests Ouray, Gunnison, Hinsdale Counties, Colorado Cover photo: Box Factory Park courtesy of Barry Johnston The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individuals income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Environmental Assessment San Juan Landscape Rangeland Assessment San Juan Landscape Rangeland Assessment Environmental Assessment Ouray, Gunnison, Hinsdale Counties, Colorado Lead Agency: USDA Forest Service Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests Responsible Officials: Tamera
    [Show full text]
  • 2015 End-Of-Season Report
    COLOradO FOURTEENers INITIATIVE 1600 Jackson Street, Suite 352 • Golden, CO 80401 • (303) 278-7650 • www.14ers.org In this season of thankful reflection, we at Colorado Fourteeners Initiative want to acknowledge the many people like you who have contributed their time, talents and donations to help preserve and protect the Fourteeners. Our work would not be possible without your generosity. On behalf of CFI’s board and staff, please accept my sincere thanks for your continued support of our important mission. Lloyd F. Athearn Executive Director Future Projects >> Planning, logistics and fundraising are under way for a multi-year effort to reconstruct the three established routes on Mount Elbert, the state high point. Botanical surveys this summer found a couple of extremely rare plants within the identified trail corridor for the Southeast Ridge route. $315,000 After of in-kind value provided by these Opened 30th sustainably designed summit route volunteer efforts. featuring raised turnpikes and staircases. CFI SMASHES RECORDS AGAIN IN 2015 >> Trail maintenance staff increased from six members to eight. The up to sustainable levels will cost $24 million—$18 million to build 16 two four-person crews set an all-time record by engaging 1,550 days new sustainable routes and $6 million to continue reconstructing 26 of volunteer trail stewardship through 60 projects on 23 routes. This previously delineated routes. volunteer work provided an in-kind value of more than $315,000. >> CFI crews and volunteer Peak Stewards made an all-time high >> CFI opened its 30th sustainably designed route this summer: El number of on-mountain hiker contacts to impart Leave No Trace Diente Peak’s Kilpacker Basin.
    [Show full text]
  • High Country Climbs Peaks
    HighHig Countryh Country Cl iClimbsmbs The San Juan Mountains surrounding Telluride are among Colorado’s most beautiful and historic peaks. This chapter records some of the Telluride region’s most classic alpine rock routes. Warning: These mountain routes are serious undertakings that should only be attempted by skilled, experienced climbs. Numerous hazards—loose rock, severe lightning storms, hard snow and ice and high altitudes—will most likely be encountered. Come Prepared: An ice axe and crampons are almost always necessary for the approach, climb or descent from these mountains. Afternoon storms are very common in the summertime, dress accordingly. Loose rock is everpre- sent, wearing a helmet should be considered. Rating Mountain Routes: Most routes in this section are rated based on the traditional Sierra Club system. Class 1 Hiking on a trail or easy cross-country Class 2 Easy scrambling using handholds Class 3 More difficult and exposed scrambling, a fall could be serious Class 4 Very exposed scrambling, a rope may be used for belaying or short-roping, a fall would be serious Class 5 Difficult rockclimbing where a rope and protection are used Route Descriptions: The routes recorded here are mostly long scrambles with countless variations possible. Detailed route descriptions are not pro- vided; good routefinding skills are therefore required. Routes described are for early to mid-summer conditions. The Climbing Season: Climbers visit these mountains all year, but the main climbing season runs from June through September. Late spring through early summer is the best time, but mid-summer is the most popular. Less snow and more loose rock can be expected in late summer.
    [Show full text]
  • Southern Rockies Lynx Linkage Areas
    Southern Rockies Lynx Amendment Appendix D - Southern Rockies Lynx Linkage Areas The goal of linkage areas is to ensure population viability through population connectivity. Linkage areas are areas of movement opportunities. They exist on the landscape and can be maintained or lost by management activities or developments. They are not “corridors” which imply only travel routes, they are broad areas of habitat where animals can find food, shelter and security. The LCAS defines Linkage areas as: “Habitat that provides landscape connectivity between blocks of habitat. Linkage areas occur both within and between geographic areas, where blocks of lynx habitat are separated by intervening areas of non-habitat such as basins, valleys, agricultural lands, or where lynx habitat naturally narrows between blocks. Connectivity provided by linkage areas can be degraded or severed by human infrastructure such as high-use highways, subdivisions or other developments. (LCAS Revised definition, Oct. 2001). Alpine tundra, open valleys, shrubland communities and dry southern and western exposures naturally fragment lynx habitat within the subalpine and montane forests of the Southern Rocky Mountains. Because of the southerly latitude, spruce-fir, lodgepole pine, and mixed aspen-conifer forests constituting lynx habitat are typically found in elevational bands along the flanks of mountain ranges, or on the summits of broad, high plateaus. In those circumstances where large landforms are more isolated, they still typically occur within 40 km (24 miles) of other suitable habitat (Ruggerio et al. 2000). This distribution maintains the potential for lynx movement from one patch to another through non-forest environments. Because of the fragmented nature of the landscape, there are inherently important natural topographic features and vegetation communities that link these fragmented forested landscapes of primary habitat together, providing for dispersal movements and interchange among individuals and subpopulations of lynx occupying these forested landscapes.
    [Show full text]
  • Wild Olympics List of Endorsements
    June 8, 2019 The Honorable Debra A. Haaland 1237 Longworth House Office Building Washington, D.C., 20515 Chair Haaland and Members of the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands, As an organization with a 125-year history dedicated to conserving outdoor access and promoting a love of the mountains, the Mazamas wishes to express our strong support for the Wild Olympics Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (H.R. 2642 and S. 1382). We much appreciate your consideration of the bill during the Subcommittee hearing scheduled for July 10, 2019. The mountains of the Olympic Peninsula provide tremendous outdoor recreation opportunities, including hiking and climbing destinations that are regular features in the Mazamas calendar of outings. By designating 126,661 acres of the Olympic National Forest as wilderness, the Act gives permanent protection to areas valued by climbers, including the proposed additions to the Mount Skokomish Wilderness. These designations will, in turn, benefit conservation efforts in Olympic National Park and existing wilderness areas on the Peninsula by distributing visitors across a larger number of locations. The designations in the Act will also benefit the economy of the Peninsula and the state. Engagement of stakeholders has led to revisions aimed at protecting timber jobs. The wild and scenic river designations will help sustain the shellfish industry. The recreation opportunities will contribute to the $26.2 billion in annual consumer spending and 201,600 jobs directed supported by outdoor recreation in Washington. The Act makes financial sense for the state. Few who visit the Olympic Peninsula ever forget its wild beauty.
    [Show full text]
  • William Henry Jackson Photochrom Collection Ca
    William Henry Jackson Photochrom Collection ca. 1895-1908 and n.d. Decker Library, Maryland Institute College of Art Collection Overview Repository: Decker Library, Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD ​ Reference Code: whjph ​ Creator: William Henry Jackson and the Detroit Publishing Company. ​ Title: William Henry Jackson Photochrom Collection ​ Dates: ca. 1895-1908 and n.d. ​ Quantity: 187 items ​ Abstract: The collection consists of 187 photo-reproduction prints (most in color) made by the ​ William Henry Jackson and the Detroit Photographic Company. Historical / Biographical Note: William Henry Jackson (1843-1942) was an American painter, photographer and publisher. Already an accomplished painter, Jackson served in the Civil War, after which he traveled in the United States and abroad as a photographer under the auspices of several corporate and governmental entities, producing a large quantity of documentary images. In the 1890s, Jackson joined the Detroit Publishing Co. and provided them with his stock of ~10,000 negatives, which became the bulk of the company’s inventory. From the negatives, the company produced for images for sale, ranging from postcards to mammoth-plate panoramas. The images form an extensive documentary archive of the United States and nearby geographical areas. The collection here utilizes the Photochrom process, where colorized images are produced from black-and-white photographic negatives via the direct photographic transfer of a negative onto lithographic printing plates. The process is a photographic variant of chromolithography, a broader term that refers to color lithography in general. 1 Provenance: Gift, Caroline B. Bowersox, 2014 and 2015. ​ Accession: 2014.001.a, 2015.003a. ​ Processed by: Katherine Cowan, 2015.
    [Show full text]
  • 2011 Report on the Health of Colorado's
    2011 Report on the Health of Colorado’s Forests Acknowledgments Thanks to William M. Ciesla, Forest Health Management International, Fort Collins, Colo., for his assistance in the development of this report and his work as a contributing author and photographer. Thanks to the following Colorado State Forest Service employees who served on the Report Working Group and/or provided information, guidance and feedback. Joseph A. Duda (Project Lead), Forest Management Division Supervisor, State Office S. Sky Stephens, Forest Entomologist, Forest Management Division, State Office Shelly Simmons, Assistant District Forester, La Junta District Rich Edwards, Assistant Staff Forester, Forest Management Division, State Office Jan Hackett, Policy and Legislative Affairs Program Manager, Outreach Division, State Office Megan Halford, Assistant District Forester, Franktown District Ryan Lockwood, Public and Media Relations Coordinator, Outreach Division, State Office Lisa Mason, Outreach Forester, Outreach Division, State Office Benjamin Pfohl, Assistant District Forester, Boulder District Kelly Rogers, District Forester, Grand Junction District GayLene Rossiter, Web Manager, Outreach Division, State Office Gregory D. Sundstrom, Assistant Staff Forester, Forest Management Division, State Office Matt Tansey, GIS Program Manager, State Office Thanks to those who reviewed and/or provided information for this report: Justin Backsen, Forestry Technician, Forest Health Protection, USDA Forest Service Kelly Sullivan Burns, Forest Pathologist, USDA Forest Service
    [Show full text]
  • 2007-075 Sneffels Wilderness Area Expansion
    RESOLUTION # 2016-009 RESOLUTION BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OURAY COUNTY Re: Sneffels Wilderness Expansion WHEREAS, the Sneffels range of the San Juan Mountains in Ouray County is an area of extraordinary scenic, environmental, economic, and recreational value; and WHEREAS, the existing Mount Sneffels Wilderness boundaries do not protect in perpetuity adjacent public lands in the Sneffels range which are capable and deserving of permanent Wilderness designation; and WHEREAS, a proposal to expand the existing Mount Sneffels Wilderness boundaries to include these public lands has been presented to the Ouray County Board of Commissioners as represented in a map entitled “Whitehouse Expansion Of The Mount Sneffels Wilderness” and referenced in Ouray County Resolutions 2007-075 and 2011-007; and WHEREAS, visitors and residents of Ouray County today enjoy these public lands for hiking, camping, photography, mountain climbing, hunting, skiing, scenic enjoyment and other wilderness uses; and WHEREAS, recreation and other uses of the public lands of Ouray County are a vital part of the local economy; and WHEREAS, these public lands provide important mid-elevation habitat for game and non-game wildlife and help connect wildlife habitat in the existing Mount Sneffels Wilderness Area to the west with habitat in the Big Blue Wilderness Area to the east; and WHEREAS, these public lands within the proposed wilderness expansion legislation include important watershed areas for domestic and agricultural water sources including Beaver Creek, the Town
    [Show full text]
  • Colorado Fourteeners Checklist
    Colorado Fourteeners Checklist Rank Mountain Peak Mountain Range Elevation Date Climbed 1 Mount Elbert Sawatch Range 14,440 ft 2 Mount Massive Sawatch Range 14,428 ft 3 Mount Harvard Sawatch Range 14,421 ft 4 Blanca Peak Sangre de Cristo Range 14,351 ft 5 La Plata Peak Sawatch Range 14,343 ft 6 Uncompahgre Peak San Juan Mountains 14,321 ft 7 Crestone Peak Sangre de Cristo Range 14,300 ft 8 Mount Lincoln Mosquito Range 14,293 ft 9 Castle Peak Elk Mountains 14,279 ft 10 Grays Peak Front Range 14,278 ft 11 Mount Antero Sawatch Range 14,276 ft 12 Torreys Peak Front Range 14,275 ft 13 Quandary Peak Mosquito Range 14,271 ft 14 Mount Evans Front Range 14,271 ft 15 Longs Peak Front Range 14,259 ft 16 Mount Wilson San Miguel Mountains 14,252 ft 17 Mount Shavano Sawatch Range 14,231 ft 18 Mount Princeton Sawatch Range 14,204 ft 19 Mount Belford Sawatch Range 14,203 ft 20 Crestone Needle Sangre de Cristo Range 14,203 ft 21 Mount Yale Sawatch Range 14,200 ft 22 Mount Bross Mosquito Range 14,178 ft 23 Kit Carson Mountain Sangre de Cristo Range 14,171 ft 24 Maroon Peak Elk Mountains 14,163 ft 25 Tabeguache Peak Sawatch Range 14,162 ft 26 Mount Oxford Collegiate Peaks 14,160 ft 27 Mount Sneffels Sneffels Range 14,158 ft 28 Mount Democrat Mosquito Range 14,155 ft 29 Capitol Peak Elk Mountains 14,137 ft 30 Pikes Peak Front Range 14,115 ft 31 Snowmass Mountain Elk Mountains 14,099 ft 32 Windom Peak Needle Mountains 14,093 ft 33 Mount Eolus San Juan Mountains 14,090 ft 34 Challenger Point Sangre de Cristo Range 14,087 ft 35 Mount Columbia Sawatch Range
    [Show full text]
  • [Ouray County] Weather
    THE [ouray county] Weather . .The Marketplace Schools . 8. Sports & Entertainment . 9. Calendar . 12 Sudoku . 12 Classifieds . The Marketplace WATCHVOLUME 2, NUMBER 38 | TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16 - MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2008 WATCHN EWSPAPERS.COM HOPEFULS – Presidential hopeful Barack Obama appeared in Grand Junction at the Cross Orchards Historic Site on Monday morning, Sept. 15 to speak to a swing-state crowd about the economy and other issues. Over 45 Ouray County Democrats attended the event. The Ouray County Watch has posted a story at ouraycountywatch.com. More coverage will follow in Friday’s edition of The Telluride Watch. (Photo by Christopher Pike) Fall Rolls In and Haying Colorado’s Season Wraps Up Proposed New Haying a Steadfast rancher Cliff Ary, “You only get Grass is the primary hay crop one cutting of hay a year at this grown in the county, including Element of Ranching elevation.” So ranchers want to timothy grass, clover and orchard Roadless Rule Economy, Lifestyle make that one cutting count. grass. Ranchers at lower eleva- Irrigation begins early in the tions such as Montrose, Delta and Millions of Acres Could Be Opened to BY ERIN RALEY summer. Ary wets his 120-acre Grand Junction have the luxury of fields three to four times over growing alfalfa as well as grass Roads, Drilling, Power Lines OURAY COUNTY – The on- the season. He then starts cutting hay, and they are able to fit in a BY CHRISTINA CALLICOTT set of fall brings crisp air, golden around July 25 and, depending few cuttings a season. leaves and a fresh dusting of snow on the weather, lets the hay sit Sixty-one-year-old Henry on the peaks.
    [Show full text]
  • Abrams Mountain Scenic Special Interest Area
    Abrams Mountain Scenic Special Interest Area Proposed Designated Area Uncompahgre National Forest 3,000 acres Ouray Ranger District General Description At 12,801 feet, Abrams Mountain (aka Mount Abrams), is an iconic peak that rises steeply and directly above the city of Ouray and can be viewed for many miles while driving from Montrose toward Ouray. It is the centerpiece landscape feature for the City of Ouray and surrounding area. Gray Copper Falls and several other falls are outstanding scenic features just west of Brown Mountain. There are several historic mines on the slopes of Abrams Mountain and Brown Mountain. Elk, deer and bighorn sheep use the area. The area is not identified as a Colorado Roadless Area. Scenic Values Mount Abrams dominates the San Juan Skyway Scenic Byway for most of its length from Red Mountain Pass across Ironton Park. Its lush green slopes provide a spectacular backdrop to Ouray during the summer, and it is equally beautiful in the winter. From the summit, there are spectacular views to the south of the Red Mountains (1,2,3) and across the valley to Hayden Mountain. Abrams Mountain is part of the long four-mile Brown Mountain ridge, which rises up and down several summits to a high point of 13,339 feet that is the official summit of Brown Mountain. Also known as Duco Mountain, it is identified by a benchmark on the summit. The spectacular Gray Copper Falls and trail is directly west of the Brown Mountain summit. The upper end of the Gray Copper Falls trail intersects with a popular jeep trail spur off the Corkscrew Pass road near the Vernon mine, but the Gray Copper Falls Trail offers visitors a beautiful hike to see the falls.
    [Show full text]