Dry Valley
1940
1998
Description:
DRY VALLEY The 1940 photograph depicts a CCC reseeding project. A healthy and diverse plant community has developed here in the 59 years between photographs. Shrub frequencies have increased and cover has increased as the fourwing saltbush and shadscale plants have matured. Threeawn grass has been mostly replaced by more productive species such as Indian ricegrass and needle and thread grass. Overall plant cover has increased as evidenced by a decrease in interspace size and frequency. Some of the other plant species on site include Mormon tea, winterfat, rabbitbrush, snakeweed, squirreltail, curlygrass, blue grama, and globemallow. Exotic species such as cheatgrass and storksbill are also present. Vegetation conditions inside of the fenced right-of-way (visible in the 1998 photograph about 75 feet from the photopoint) are very similar to the foreground area that is still grazed by cattle. The deep sandy loams found here are moderately productive if an annual precipitation level of about 10 inches is maintained.
Vegetative Community:
Salt Desert Shrub
Location:
San Juan