DOCSLIB.ORG

Final Report Post-416 Fire Aquatic Monitoring & Recommendations

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Final Report Post-416 Fire Aquatic Monitoring & Recommendations Final Report Post-416 Fire Aquatic Monitoring & Recommendations March 2021 Prepared for: Colorado Watershed Assembly Mountain Studies Institute Post-416 Fire Aquatic Monitoring & Recommendations Publication Date: March 2021 Cover Photo Credit: Scott Roberts Authors: Roberts, Scott1; Eskelson, Mandy1; Rust, Ashley2; Hogue, Terri2 1 Mountain Studies Institute, Durango, CO 2Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO Mountain Studies Institute Post-416 Fire Aquatic Monitoring & Recommendations Table of Contents Project Background ............................................................................................................... 2 Summary ............................................................................................................................... 2 Objectives & Activities ........................................................................................................... 3 Accomplishments .................................................................................................................. 4 Recommendations ................................................................................................................ 8 Budget Accounting & Funding Leveraged ............................................................................. 10 References ............................................................................................................................ 2 Appendix A. Map of monitoring locations .............................................................................. 3 Appendix B. Hydrograph of the Animas River at Rotary Park (1912-early 2021) ...................... 1 Appendix C. Preliminary water quality results: descriptive statistics ....................................... 1 Appendix D. Preliminary water quality results: percent change in average concentration from pre-fire to post-fire periods ................................................................................................... 2 Appendix E. Preliminary water quality results: plots of select analytes depicting average concentration during pre-fire, post-fire 2018, 2019, and 2020 ................................................ 3 Appendix F. Preliminary water quality results: compared to CDPHE water quality standards .. 4 Appendix G. Preliminary post-fire physical habitat graphs ..................................................... 5 Appendix H. Preliminary benthic macroinvertebrate tissue metal concentrations .................. 6 Mountain Studies Institute Post-416 Fire Aquatic Monitoring & Recommendations Project Background During the summer of 2018, the 416 Fire burned over 54,000 acres in the Hermosa Creek drainage within the Animas River watershed (HUC 14080104), impacting local and downstream communities. The fire and smoke negatively impacted livelihoods, homeowners, and tourism. Several subsequent runoff events and debris flows occurred within the 416 Fire burn area, creating concern in southwest Colorado communities about the resulting impacts to water quality and aquatic life. Ash and sediment delivered from the burn area led to changes in color, discharge, turbidity, and reports of fish kills in Hermosa Creek and the Animas River. Additionally, irrigators and ditch companies were impacted from sediment and debris flows that inhibited their ability to access and convey their water allocations. Summary In 2018, scientists from Mountain Studies Institute (MSI), Colorado School of Mines (CSM), and USFS Rocky Mountain Research Station (RMRS) partnered as the 416 Fire Aquatic Monitoring Research Group to investigate the water quality and aquatic life impacts from the 416 Fire. These research efforts were supported by the Colorado Watershed Assembly, Animas Water Company, City of Durango, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Colorado Water Conservation Board, Community Emergency Relief Fund, and Southwestern Water Conservation District. Preliminary studies in 2018 captured the immediate impacts from the fire in Hermosa Creek and the Animas River, and the Research Group’s continued sampling and analysis in 2019 and 2020 have allowed water users and providers to better understand how post-fire impacts have persisted during watershed recovery. Currently, the state of Colorado suggests rivers generally recover from wildfire impacts after five years. The Research Group is fortunate to have an abundance of pre-fire water quality and benthic macroinvertebrate data to provide a strong foundation for assessing impacts and recovery from the fire. Sharing the data and results of this ongoing study with agencies, research entities, and the public will provide additional evidence to determine if the state of Colorado’s recovery timeline is reasonable and accurate. Tracking local wildfire impacts and recovery in the Animas River watershed provides important information to a diverse set of water users and decision makers including ditch companies, irrigators, drinking water suppliers, emergency management, river-oriented recreational businesses, resource managers, and fishery managers. A better understanding of river recovery can help inform whether there are any risks to different types of water uses as well as guide land management and government agencies as to whether watershed health is recovering on its own or if intervening restoration projects may be necessary. For example, in 2020, members of the Research Group directly used the data and results collected from this research to help with stakeholder identification and prioritization of projects for La Plata County’s 416-Fire Watershed Restoration Project. Other local organizations that support the Research Group’s monitoring and utilize the information provided by this research include: Animas Consolidated Ditch Company, Animas Water Company, Animas River Community Forum, City of Durango, La Plata County, Colorado Parks & Wildlife, Rio Grande Emergency Action Coordination Team, and the San Juan National Forest. On a broader scale, this information is also incorporated into state and federal water quality databases like the Colorado Data Sharing Network or the National Water Quality Monitoring Council’s Water Quality Portal (WQP). 2 Mountain Studies Institute Post-416 Fire Aquatic Monitoring & Recommendations Objectives & Activities The Research Group employs a variety of activities to monitor and assess post-fire impacts. We use instrumentation, field surveys, and samples of surface water and benthic macroinvertebrates (BMIs, aquatic insects) to evaluate physical, biological and chemical changes from the 416 Fire across spatial (different locations) and temporal scales (immediate vs. long-term). For example, results from instruments and collected water samples capture water quality conditions at a specific time, while evaluating the habitat and population of BMIs can serve as a longer-term biological indicator of water quality and riparian conditions. When interpreting impacts to water quality and aquatic life, the Research Group also considers the context of existing watershed traits such as geology and hydrology, seasonal and annual variations, historical observations, and risks to designated water uses in the watershed. This helps us understand if post-fire conditions are unprecedented, pose risks to different water users or aquatic life, assess the duration of impacts, and track watershed recovery across multiple lines of evidence. Overall, the primary objectives of this research are to: • Evaluate water quality impacts to Hermosa Creek and the Animas River from the 416 Fire in context of the use of these waters for irrigation, drinking water supply, recreation, and aquatic life. • Establish monitoring sites on Hermosa Creek and Junction Creek to serve as watershed comparisons of differing forest health, fire history, and forest health treatments. • Document the recovery of water quality and aquatic life following the 416 Fire to share with communities, agencies, and researchers to further our understanding of the recovery of river conditions after wildfire. The Colorado Watershed Assembly’s (CWA) Colorado Healthy Rivers Fund grant supported the following project activities/tasks: 1) Water Quality Sampling 2) Benthic Macroinvertebrate Sampling 3) Benthic Macroinvertebrate Lab Analysis 4) Data Analysis, Technical Reporting, and Recommendations We have successfully completed the CWA-funded tasks and will focus our efforts in 2021 on further analysis and outreach. Additional project activities were funded through other partnerships or grants, including water quality instrumentation installation and laboratory analysis. This report serves to provide a summary of accomplishments related to the activities funded by CWA as well as to share preliminary monitoring results thus far. We hope to share subsequent technical reports with CWA in the future. 3 Mountain Studies Institute Post-416 Fire Aquatic Monitoring & Recommendations Accomplishments Task 1 – Surface Water Quality Sampling In 2020, the Research Group collected regular and opportunistic water quality samples from five locations; three locations downstream of the burn area and two locations that were unaffected by the fire (Appendix A). We collected monthly samples from March through October of 2020. In addition to monthly samples, we collected opportunistic samples to characterize conditions during key hydrological events, such as the rising limb of spring runoff and storm events, that mobilized sediment and ash from the burn area into stream drainages. Capturing conditions
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Summary of the Hermosa Creek Special Management Area Legislation Prepared by San Juan National Forest for Public Open House March 3, 2015
    Summary of the Hermosa Creek Special Management Area Legislation prepared by San Juan National Forest for Public Open House March 3, 2015 Please note that the legislation addresses many things in addition to the Hermosa Creek Special Management Area (SMA), primarily defense spending, but also including several other land management-related sections. The section of the legislation pertinent to the Hermosa Creek SMA is outlined below, and the sub-sections related to the SMA are highlighted: Sec. 3062. Hermosa Creek Watershed Protection. (a) Definitions (b) Designation Of Hermosa Creek Special Management Area (1) Designation (2) Purpose (3) Administration (A) In General (B) Uses (i) In General (ii) Motorized And Mechanized Vehicles (I) In General (II) Oversnow Vehicles (iii) Grazing (iv) Prohibited Activities (4) State And Federal Water Management (5) Withdrawal (A) In General (B) Exception (6) Winter Skiing And Related Winter Activities (7) Vegetation Management (8) Wildfire, Insect, And Disease Management (9) Management Plan (10) Trail And Open Area Snowmobile Usage (11) State Water Rights (c) Hermosa Creek Wilderness (1) Designation Of Wilderness (2) Effective Date (3) Fire, Insects, And Diseases (d) Durango Area Mineral Withdrawal (e) Conveyance Of Bureau Of Land Management Land To County (f) Molas Pass Recreation Area; Wilderness Study Area Release; Wilderness Study Area Transfer Of Administrative Jurisdiction (g) General Provisions (1) Fish And Wildlife (2) Maps And Legal Descriptions (3) Adjacent Management (4) Military Overflights The following excerpts are taken from H.R. 3979 (enrolled bill version dated January 17, 2015), titled the ‘‘Carl Levin and Howard P. ‘Buck’ McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015’’ obtained from https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th- congress/house-bill/3979/text.
    [Show full text]
  • Animas River
    2013 River Protection Workgroup for the Animas River Final Report May 2013 an initiative of the River Protection Workgroup http://ocs.fortlewis.edu/riverprotection The River Protection Workgroup (RPW) project was formed as an outgrowth of discussions starting in 2006 among various regional water planning and resource protection organizations where a need became apparent for a collaborative process to select long-term, reliable, federal and/or state and/or other measures to protect the identified values of regional streams while allowing water development to continue. A project steering committee formed and then met for over a year to get organized, design the process model, and begin to work at the community level for these five river/stream segments: Hermosa Creek; upper Animas River and Mineral and South Mineral Creeks; upper San Juan River - East and West Forks; Vallecito Creek/Pine River; and the Piedra River. The first step for each river and stream segment was to organize a meeting at the community level to see if there was interest in forming a public workgroup – one that would entail learning, discussions and issuing a final report of findings, agreements and conclusions. The River Protection Workgroup for the Animas kicked off in June of 2011 and concluded its work in May 2013. Each of the RPW Workgroups’ reports can be found on the project Web site along with meeting notes, handouts, maps, and more: http://ocs.fortlewis.edu/riverprotection/ For more information about the RPW, please refer to Attachment A which gives detailed
    [Show full text]
  • Hermosa Creek Watershed Protection Act of 2013
    Statement of Leslie Weldon Deputy Chief, National Forest System Forest Service United States Department of Agriculture Before the United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests and Mining November 20, 2013 Concerning S. 841 Hermosa Creek Watershed Protection Act of 2013 Mr. Chairman and members of the Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today and provide the Department of Agriculture’s views regarding S. 841, the “Hermosa Creek Watershed Protection Act of 2013”. The Department supports S. 841. We thank Senator Bennett and Senator Udall for their collaborative approach and recognize the local involvement that has contributed to the wide support in Colorado for this bill. S. 841 would designate 107,886 acres of the San Juan National Forest as the Hermosa Creek Watershed Protection Area to protect water resources within the Hermosa Creek Watershed, which supplies residents of the Animas River valley and the city of Durango, Colorado with clean drinking water. This designation would be consistent with the Forest Plan. This bill recognizes the important role that National Forests play in providing clean drinking water, recreation opportunities and economic value for surrounding communities. Of the 107,886 aces, 68,289 acres would be designated as the “Hermosa Creek Special Management Area.” The purpose of the Special Management Area is to conserve and protect the watershed, geological, cultural, natural, scientific, recreational, wildlife, riparian, historical, educational, and scenic resources and values of the area. Overall this special area designation will focus attention and management priority to these non-commodity values within the area, including protection of native Colorado River cutthroat trout.
    [Show full text]
  • Hermosa Creek Watershed Management Plan Environmental Assessment
    United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service Hermosa Creek Watershed Management Plan Environmental Assessment Columbine Ranger District, San Juan National Forest, La Plata and San Juan Counties, Colorado Townships 36-40 North, Ranges 9-11 West, N.M.P.M. September 2017 Hermosa Creek Watershed Management Plan EA For More Information Contact: Matt Janowiak, Columbine District Ranger or Cam Hooley, Project Leader Columbine Ranger District San Juan National Forest P.O. Box 439 367 South Pearl Street Bayfield, CO 81122 Phone: 970-884-2512 Email: [email protected] Cover Photo: Hermosa Park with historic Harris Ranch in the foreground and Purgatory Ski Area in the background. Photo credit Cam Hooley. In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, office, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible Agency or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.
    [Show full text]
  • 2017-Hermosa-Creek-Colorado-Trout-Unlimited
    Application for WNTI Funding Application Deadline: 5 pm Mountain time October 7, 2016 Application not to exceed 10 pages total (including the 3 page cover sheet) Cover Sheet Applicant Information Lead Applicant Organization or Entity: Colorado Trout Unlimited Contact Person Name: David Nickum Address: 1536 Wynkoop St. Suite 320 City, State, Zip: Denver, CO 80202 Email: [email protected] Telephone:720‐581‐8589 Website Address: www.coloradotu.org Project Information Project Title: Hermosa Creek Colorado River Cutthroat Metapopulation Project Project Location State: CO County: La Plata Nearest Town: Durango Congressional District of Project: 3rd Congressional District Watershed/Stream/Lake: Hermosa Creek Watershed ‐ within the Animas River Watershed WNTI native trout and char species/sub‐species Benefitted by Project: Colorado River Cutthroat Trout Total Project Budget: $447,967 Total Amount Requested: $50,000 Total Matching Funds or In‐Kind Support Secured: $390,532 Project Map Coordinates (decimal degrees) Lat: 37.642 Long: ‐107.927 Project Start Date: Summer 2017* * For barrier construction; reclamation and Project Completion Date: Summer 2017* restocking follow as matching efforts in 2018‐ 19. Is there a monitoring plan following Partnership guidelines? Yes If multiyear project, is there a breakdown of tasks, accomplishments, and budget by year in distinct phases? Yes Land Ownership (public or private; if public, specify managing agency): USDA Forest Service Is there a letter of support from the State or Federal fish and wildlife agency or Tribal government? Yes If project is located on private land, please also attach a letter of support from landowner In which USFWS Region is the project located? (1, 2, 6, 7, 8) _6_ Region 1: Idaho, Oregon, Washington Region 2: New Mexico, Arizona Region 6: Montana, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming Region 7: Alaska Region 8: California, Nevada Is your project currently listed in the U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Draft Summary Table of Wild & Scenic Rivers
    San Juan Public Lands DRAFT Wild and Scenic Rivers Draft Eligibility summary 1/10/06 updated 1/26/06 updated Feb 28 Updated May 10, 2006 In the table below, rivers and their outstandingly remarkable characteristics are discussed in their entirety. Wild/scenic/recreational classification segments can be seen on the map, or can be referenced on other draft documents. Streams where archeology was the only outstandingly remarkable value are not listed below, because we expect very little discussion about whether they would be recommended as suitable.are listed separately below For the purposes of discussion at the January 11 Water Round Table, streams that the staff is most excited about are shown in bold face type. These are not necessarily those that would be selected in the Preferred Alternative. The streams in bold face are those recommended as suitable in previous studies, plus La Sal Creek, the Animas River below Silverton, Hermosa Creek and its tributaries, Vallecito Creek, and the East Fork of the Piedra in the Wilderness. Ref Stream Name Eligibility description Classi- No. fication 1 Dolores The San Juan Skyway Scenic Byway on Highway 145 1a rec River above parallels most of this stretch. This road follows the 1b rec McPhee river because the river valleys are natural transportation corridors through the mountains. People are drawn by the dramatic aspen-covered valley hillsides (especially colorful in the fall), the stream- carved sandstone outcrops, the broad cottonwood- covered flood plain in the lower portion, and the views of rugged peaks in the upper section. The Dolores River is known throughout the region for its flyfishing, and draws people from across the nation.
    [Show full text]
  • La Plata County Colorado, and Incorporated Areas Volume 1 of 2
    LA PLATA COUNTY COLORADO, AND INCORPORATED AREAS VOLUME 1 OF 2 COMMUNITY COMMUNNITY NAME NUMBER BAYFIELD, TOWN OF 080098 DURANGO, CITY OF 080099 IGNACIO, TOWN OF* 080268 LA PLATA COUNTY (UNINCORPORATED AREAS) 080097 * N0N FLOOD PRONE COMMUNITY August 19, 2010 Federal Emergency Management Agency 08067CV001A NOTICE TO FLOOD INSURANCE STUDY USERS Communities participating in the National Flood Insurance Program have established repositories of flood hazard data for floodplain management and flood insurance purposes. This Flood Insurance Study (FIS) may not contain all data available within the repository. It is advisable to contact the community repository for any additional data. Part or all of this FIS may be revised and republished at any time. In addition, part of this FIS may be revised by the Letter of Map Revision process, which does not involve republication or redistribution of the FIS. It is, therefore, the responsibility of the user to consult with community officials and to check the community repository to obtain the most current FIS components. Initial Countywide FIS Effective Date: August 19, 2010 Revised Countywide FIS Dates: TABLE OF CONTENTS Volume 1 Page 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Purpose of Study 1 1.2 Authority and Acknowledgments 1 1.3 Coordination 3 2.0 AREA STUDIED 4 2.1 Scope of Study 4 2.2 Community Description 8 2.3 Principal Flood Problems 11 2.4 Flood Protection Measures 12 3.0 ENGINEERING METHODS 13 3.1 Hydrologic Analyses 14 3.2 Hydraulic Analyses 17 3.3 Vertical Datum 20 4.0 FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT APPLICATIONS
    [Show full text]
  • Hermosa Creek Special Management Area: Colorado River Cutthroat Trout Management
    Hermosa Creek Special Management Area: Colorado River Cutthroat Trout Management Colorado Parks and Wildlife Colorado River cutthroat trout captured in Clear Creek, June 2014. The Colorado River cutthroat trout is the only native trout to the Hermosa Creek drainage and the Colorado River Basin. Colorado River cutthroat trout (CRCT) currently occupy about 11% of the estimated historic range (Hirsch et al. 2010; Figure 1). Habitat alterations and the introduction of non- native trout have isolated many of these populations to headwater streams and lakes. Many of the cutthroat trout populations occupy very small “first order” steep gradient streams with marginal habitats. Other threats to CRCT include competition with non-native salmonids, predation of smaller life stages, and, most importantly, hybridization with close relatives such as rainbow trout and other non- native cutthroat trout (i.e., Yellowstone cutthroats). Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming natural resource agencies all had programs aimed at countering the threats against CRCT with the goal of stabilizing and expanding existing populations. In 1994, all three states recognized that a coordinated conservation effort would be much more effective at preventing a listing under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) than individual programs. In 2001 a Conservation Strategy and Agreement among the States was crafted and agreed upon. Since then many federal agencies, tribes, and non-governmental organizations have signed the Conservation Agreement to conserve CRCT across its historic range. The CRCT Strategy guides how cutthroat trout are managed in Colorado and, more locally, in Hermosa Creek. The three most important cutthroat trout Figure 1. Historic distribution of CRCT. management strategies that apply to the Hermosa Creek Special Management Area (SMA) are: 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Table of Contents Introduction
    Table of Contents Introduction Chapter 62: Title, Effective Date, Purposes and Definitions Sec. 62-1 Official title and short title Sec. 62-2 Effective date Sec. 62-3 Purposes Sec. 62-4 Jurisdiction and applicability Sec. 62-5 Definitions Sec. 62-6 Abbreviations and acronyms Chapter 63: Administration and Review of Roles Sec. 63-1 Board of County Commissioners I. General authority. II. Specific powers and duties. Sec. 63-2 La Plata County Planning Commission I. Established. II. Membership, qualifications and terms. III. General authority. IV. Specific powers and duties. Sec. 63-3 Joint Planning Commission I. Established. II. Membership. III. Quorum, officers and bylaws. IV. Compensation. V. Records of proceedings. Sec. 63-4 Board of Adjustment I. Established. II. Membership, qualifications and terms. III. Specific powers and duties. Sec. 63-5 County staff I. Staff powers and duties. Sec. 63-6 Registered District Advisory Committees I. Intent and purpose. II. Eligibility. III. Role of a registered district advisory committee. Chapter 64: Long Range Planning Tools Sec. 64-1 Comprehensive plan I. Purpose of comprehensive plan. II. Adoption and amendment of the comprehensive plan. III. Use of comprehensive plan. Sec. 64-2 Established planning districts I. Purpose and intent of planning districts. II. Planning districts. Sec. 64-3 District plans I. Purpose of district plans. II. Contents of district plans. III. Contents not to be included in district plans. IV. Adoption and amendment of district plans. 1 V. Updates to district plans. VI. Use of district plans. Sec. 64-4 District maps I. District maps. II. Adoption, amendments or updates of district maps.
    [Show full text]
  • 416 Fire Water Quality Monitoring Results from Hermosa Creek and Animas River
    October 4, 2018 Memo from Mountain Studies Institute Continued 416 Fire water quality monitoring results from Hermosa Creek and Animas River Dear Community Partners: Mountain Studies Institute (MSI), an independent nonprofit research center, investigates water quality issues along the Animas River and has a tradition of responding to community concerns related to changes in the watershed. During the summer of 2018, the 416 Fire burned 54,000 acres in the San Juan National Forest, primarily in the Hermosa Creek drainage north of Durango, CO. Recent runoff events and debris flows have occurred within the 416 burn area, creating concern in southwest Colorado communities about the resulting impacts to water quality and aquatic life. Ash and sediment delivered from the burn area have been evident in changes in color, discharge, turbidity, and reports of fish kills in Hermosa Creek and the Animas River. The frequency of debris flows and runoff events from the 416 burn area is effectively illustrated by turbidity measured by the USGS gauge on the Animas River in Durango (Figure 1, see following pages). MSI collected water quality samples from Hermosa Creek and the Animas River at Rotary Park in Durango to characterize the anticipated water quality impacts from these events. Since mid-June, MSI has collected samples during several precipitation events as well as during stable weather conditions. Samples were analyzed by Green Analytical Laboratory in Durango, Colorado for the following analytes: suspended sediment concentration, dissolved organic carbon, nitrite/nitrate as N, total Kjeldhal nitrogen, total phosphate, hardness, total mercury, and total and dissolved concentrations of aluminum, iron, lead, and manganese.
    [Show full text]
  • Ecological Elements
    APPENDIX C - ROADLESS AREA INVENTORY AND WILDERNESS EVALUATION Table of Contents INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................................................................................3 BACKGROUND.....................................................................................................................................................................................4 ROADLESS INVENTORY ................................................................................................................................................................4 POTENTIAL WILDERNESS ANALYSIS ...................................................................................................................................5 ASSUMPTIONS.................................................................................................................................................................................. 11 FISH CREEK #SJ001........................................................................................................................................................................ 14 STORM PEAK (SJ002) (RARE 2305)........................................................................................................................................... 18 RYMAN (SJ015) (RARE 2315)....................................................................................................................................................... 23 LIZARD HEAD ADJACENT
    [Show full text]
  • Final Hermosa Creek Watershed Management Plan
    United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service FINAL HERMOSA CREEK WATERSHED MANAGEMENT PLAN Columbine Ranger District, San Juan National Forest, La Plata and San Juan Counties, Colorado Townships 36-40 North, Ranges 9-11 West, N.M.P.M. January 26, 2018 HERMOSA CREEK WATERSHED MANAGEMENT PLAN For More Information Contact: Columbine Ranger District San Juan National Forest PO Box 439 367 Pearl Street Bayfield, CO 81122 Phone: (970) 884-2512 Cover Photo: Hermosa Park with historic Harris Ranch in the foreground and Purgatory Ski Area in the background. Photo credit: Cam Hooley In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible Agency or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.
    [Show full text]