Upper Pit River Watershed Assessment
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UPPER PIT RIVER WATERSHED ASSESSMENT Prepared for PIT RIVER WATERSHED ALLIANCE OCTOBER 2004 UPPER PIT RIVER WATERSHED ASSESSMENT Prepared for Pit River Alliance Prepared by 962 Maraglia St. Redding, California 96002 October 2004 Section 1 INTRODUCTION PROJECT GOALS ........................................................................................................................1-1 BACKGROUND.............................................................................................................................1-1 FUNDING SOURCES....................................................................................................................1-1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..............................................................................................................1-2 Watershed Advisory Committee ..............................................................................1-2 Pit River Watershed Alliance....................................................................................1-2 LOCATION....................................................................................................................................1-5 LAND OWNERSHIP......................................................................................................................1-5 TOPOGRAPHY .............................................................................................................................1-6 GEOLOGY.....................................................................................................................................1-6 Geomorphic Provinces................................................................................................1-7 Faults..............................................................................................................................1-9 Mineral and Hydrologic Resources ....................................................................... 1-10 Geologic Issues.......................................................................................................... 1-11 SOILS AND PRIMARY VEGETATION TYPES.......................................................................... 1-12 Valley Soils................................................................................................................. 1-12 Plateau and Foothill Soils....................................................................................... 1-17 Mountain Soils ........................................................................................................... 1-20 CLIMATE.................................................................................................................................... 1-24 Historic Record ......................................................................................................... 1-24 General Evidence ..................................................................................................... 1-25 Recent Record........................................................................................................... 1-25 Temperature/Evaporation and Growing Seasons............................................. 1-27 Precipitation.............................................................................................................. 1-28 Snowfall ...................................................................................................................... 1-28 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................ 1-29 TABLES 1-1 Land Ownership Acreage in the Upper Pit River Watershed Study Area ....................1-5 1-2 Acres of Principal Rock Types ............................................................................................1-7 1-3 Mineral Resources............................................................................................................... 1-11 1-4 Soil Data Availability.......................................................................................................... 1-13 1-5 Dominant Type Soil ........................................................................................................... 1-14 1-6 Weather Station Identification.......................................................................................... 1-26 FIGURES 1-1 General Vicinity 1-2 Watershed Boundary 1-3 Ownership 1-4 Topography 1-5 USGS Quadrangles 1-6 Elevation Bands 1-7 General Slope Classes 1-8 Province Boundaries 1-9 Geologic Time Scale 1-10 Schematic Geology of the Modoc National Forest and Vicinity to the Lassen County Line 1-11 California Faults 1-12 Geothermal Activity 1-13 Dominant Associations and Associated Soil Series 1-14 Areas of Detailed Soil Information 1-15 Weather Station Locations 1-16 Average Monthly Temperatures in Alturas 1-17 Hourly Temperature Variations 1-18 ET Rates for McArthur CIMIS Station 1-19 ET Rates for Alturas CIMIS Station 1-20 Isohyetal Contours 1-21 Precipitation Recurrence Levels for the City of Alturas Section 2 GENERAL WATERSHED HISTORY NATIVE PEOPLES ........................................................................................................................2-1 EARLY CONTACT.........................................................................................................................2-3 HISTORY OF RESOURCE USE ....................................................................................................2-6 Fire.................................................................................................................................2-6 Vegetation ...................................................................................................................2-9 Grazing....................................................................................................................... 2-18 Wildlife ...................................................................................................................... 2-23 Fisheries .................................................................................................................... 2-25 LAND MANAGEMENT ........................................................................................................... 2-26 United States Forest Service (USFS).............................................................. 2-26 State of California................................................................................................. 2-27 WATER RESOURCES.............................................................................................................. 2-27 DEMOGRAPHICS.................................................................................................................... 2-28 INTERVIEWS: LOCAL VIEWS OF RESOURCE USE HISTORY.................................... 2-29 Land Use.................................................................................................................... 2-30 Fire.............................................................................................................................. 2-30 Vegetation ................................................................................................................ 2-31 Grazing....................................................................................................................... 2-31 Wildlife ...................................................................................................................... 2-31 Fisheries .................................................................................................................... 2-32 REFERENCES .......................................................................................................................... 2-32 TABLES 2-1 Key Dates of Early Contact.................................................................................................2-3 2-2 Historical Fire Acreage .........................................................................................................2-9 2-3 Common Non-Native Weeds........................................................................................... 2-11 2-4 Historical Sheep Populations: United States Census of Agriculture: 1919–2001..... 2-19 2-5 Historical Cattle Populations: United States Census of Agriculture: 1925–2001 ..... 2-20 2-6 Fish Planted by Species and Size in the Upper Pit River Watershed .......................... 2-26 2-7 Founding Dates of Major Settlements ............................................................................ 2-28 2-8 Decennial Census Data...................................................................................................... 2-29 FIGURES 2-1 Common Routes of Trappers and Wagon Trails 2-2 Early County Boundary Changes 2-3 Pit River Fire History 2-4 Historical Cattle and Sheep Populations 2-5 Historical Population Data by County 2-6 Eagle Peak Photographs 2-7 Blue Lake Ranch Photographs 2-8 Antelope Photographs Section 3 LAND USE AND DEMOGRAPHICS LAND OWNERSHIP ......................................................................................................................3-1 Historical........................................................................................................................3-1 Current............................................................................................................................3-2 Public Lands ..................................................................................................................3-2