Preliminary Evaluation of Potential ACECs—Royal Gorge Field Office Relevance and Importance Criteria Prepared by U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management Royal Gorge Field Office Cañon City, CO February 2017 This page intentionally left blank Preliminary Evaluation of Potential iii ACECs—Royal Gorge Field Office Table of Contents Acronyms and Abbreviations ....................................................................................................... ix Executive Summary ...................................................................................................................... xi _1. Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 1 _1.1. Eastern Colorado Resource Management Plan ............................................................... 1 _1.2. Authorities ....................................................................................................................... 1 _1.3. Area of Consideration ..................................................................................................... 1 _1.4. The ACEC Designation Process ..................................................................................... 1 _2. Requirements for ACEC Designation .................................................................................... 3 _2.1. Identifying ACECs .......................................................................................................... 5 _2.2. Special Management Attention ....................................................................................... 5 _2.3. Nomination of ACECs .................................................................................................... 6 _2.4. Evaluation of Potential ACECs ...................................................................................... 6 _2.5. Relevance ........................................................................................................................ 6 _2.6. Importance ...................................................................................................................... 7 _2.7. Consideration of Potential ACECs ................................................................................. 7 _2.8. Comments on Proposed ACECs ..................................................................................... 8 _2.9. Designation of ACECs .................................................................................................... 8 _3. Relevance and Importance Evaluations ................................................................................. 9 _3.1. Introduction ................................................................................................................... 11 _3.2. Arkansas Canyonlands ACEC ...................................................................................... 11 _3.3. Arkansas River Corridor ACEC ................................................................................... 13 _3.4. Castle Gardens ACEC ................................................................................................... 21 _3.5. Cucharas Canyon ACEC ............................................................................................... 23 _3.6. Dikes of the Spanish Peaks ACEC (Incorporating Mount Mestas [Maestas] and North Raton Basin ACECs) ....................................................................................... 25 _3.7. Droney Gulch ACEC .................................................................................................... 27 _3.8. Eastern Plains–Lesser Prairie Chicken Habitat ACEC ................................................. 29 _3.9. Garden Park Paleontological Area ACEC .................................................................... 31 _3.10. Grape Creek ACEC ..................................................................................................... 33 _3.11. Mount Ouray to Poncha Drainages ACEC ................................................................. 35 _3.12. Reinecker Ridge .......................................................................................................... 37 _3.13. Ruby Mountain/Railroad Gulch ACEC ...................................................................... 39 _3.14. South Pikes Peak ACEC (Incorporating Existing Beaver Creek, Phantom Canyon, and Externally Proposed Phantom ACECs) ............................................................... 41 _3.15. Top of the World ACEC (Incorporating Mosquito Pass Expansion and Birdseye Gulch) ......................................................................................................................... 43 _3.16. Thompson Mountain–Twin–Gribble Mountain ACEC .............................................. 45 February 2017 Table of Contents iv Preliminary Evaluation of Potential ACECs—Royal Gorge Field Office _4. List of Preparers ..................................................................................................................... 47 Table of Contents February 2017 Preliminary Evaluation of Potential v ACECs—Royal Gorge Field Office List of Figures Figure 3.1. Map of Arkansas Canyonlands ACEC ........................................................................ 12 Figure 3.2. Map of Arkansas River Corridor ACEC Zone 1 ......................................................... 14 Figure 3.3. Map of Arkansas River Corridor ACEC Zone 2 ......................................................... 16 Figure 3.4. Map of Arkansas River Corridor ACEC Zone 3 ......................................................... 18 Figure 3.5. Map of Arkansas River Corridor ACEC Zone 4 ......................................................... 20 Figure 3.6. Map of Castle Gardens ACEC .................................................................................... 22 Figure 3.7. Map of Cucharas Canyon ACEC ................................................................................ 24 Figure 3.8. Map of Dikes of the Spanish Peaks ACEC ................................................................. 26 Figure 3.9. Map of Droney Gulch ACEC ...................................................................................... 28 Figure 3.10. Map of Eastern Plains–Lesser Prairie Chicken Habitat ACEC ................................. 30 Figure 3.11. Map of Garden Park Paleontological Area ACEC .................................................... 32 Figure 3.12. Map of Grape Creek ACEC ...................................................................................... 34 Figure 3.13. Map of Mount Ouray to Poncha Drainages ACEC ................................................... 36 Figure 3.14. Map of Reinecker Ridge ACEC ................................................................................ 38 Figure 3.15. Map of Ruby Mountain/Railroad Gulch ACEC ........................................................ 40 Figure 3.16. Map of South Pikes Peak ACEC ............................................................................... 42 Figure 3.17. Map of Top of the World ACEC ............................................................................... 44 Figure 3.18. Map of Thompson Mountain–Twin–Gribble Mountain ACEC ................................ 46 February 2017 List of Figures This page intentionally left blank Preliminary Evaluation of Potential vii ACECs—Royal Gorge Field Office List of Tables Table 3.1. Arkansas Canyonlands ACEC Relevance and Importance Criteria ............................. 11 Table 3.2. Arkansas River Corridor ACEC Zone 1 Relevance and Importance Criteria .............. 13 Table 3.3. Arkansas River Corridor ACEC Zone 2 Relevance and Importance Criteria .............. 15 Table 3.4. Arkansas River Corridor ACEC Zone 3 Relevance and Importance Criteria .............. 17 Table 3.5. Arkansas River Corridor ACEC Zone 4 Relevance and Importance Criteria .............. 19 Table 3.6. Castle Gardens ACEC Relevance and Importance Criteria .......................................... 21 Table 3.7. Cucharas Canyon ACEC Relevance and Importance Criteria ...................................... 23 Table 3.8. Dikes of the Spanish Peaks ACEC Relevance and Importance Criteria ....................... 25 Table 3.9. Droney Gulch ACEC Relevance and Importance Criteria ........................................... 27 Table 3.10. Eastern Plains–Lesser Prairie Chicken Habitat ACEC Relevance and Importance Criteria ................................................................................................................................ 29 Table 3.11. Garden Park Paleontological Area ACEC Relevance and Importance Criteria .......... 31 Table 3.12. Grape Creek ACEC Relevance and Importance Criteria ............................................ 33 Table 3.13. Mount Ouray to Poncha Drainages ACEC Relevance and Importance Criteria ........ 35 Table 3.14. Reinecker Ridge ACEC Relevance and Importance Criteria ..................................... 37 Table 3.15. Ruby Mountain/Railroad Gulch ACEC Relevance and Importance Criteria ............. 39 Table 3.16. South Pikes Peak ACEC Relevance and Importance Criteria .................................... 41 Table 3.17. Top of the World ACEC Relevance and Importance Criteria ..................................... 43 Table 3.18. Thompson Mountain–Twin–Gribble Mountain ACEC Relevance and Importance Criteria ...............................................................................................................................