Bluff

Description:

BLUFF The original photograph illustrates the small community of Bluff, Utah some 15 years after settlement. The San Juan River is wide and shallow supporting little or no woody riparian vegetation. Some of the original large wood was no doubt cut to provide materials for homes, shelters, dams and corrals. In addition to depicting growth in Bluff, the repeat photograph shows the dramatic increase in the extent and density of large woody riparian species such as Fremont cottonwood, Gooding willow and coyote willow along the San Juan. Exotic woody species, tamarisk and Russian olive, also inhibit the site. The channel has been narrowed and floodplains have established on both sides of the river within the entire view length of the photographs.

Vegetative Community:

Riparian

San Juan