Not fair Gary
Prof. Gary A. Beluzo Systems Ecologist Holyoke Comm College 303 Homestead Ave Holyoke, MA. 01040 On Jul 1, 2009, at 10:07 AM, [email protected] wrote: > ENTS, WNTS, > > Here are more photos from yesterday's record breaking trip up La > Plata Canyon to Kennebec Pass. I would like to point out that La > Plata Canyon, up which we drove, is a marvelously wooded mountain > gorge. Its depth by common methods of measurement and comparison is > between 3,000 and 3,500 feet - not so deep as the Animas River > Gorge, but for me, equally scenic. Along the way, I measured a > couple dozen Englemann spruce to heights of between 100 and 110 feet > - enough to satisfy myself that trees in that height class are > common along La Plata Creek up to an altitude of 11,000 feet - in > protected areas. However, there are populations of taller Englemann > spruces in the gorge, but their relative frequency would be > difficult to determine. I'm not going to be able to do it on this > trip. Somewhere in the gorge there is Englemann growing that we will > confirm to over 140 feet. My present belief is that is near the > maximum height that the species will achieve in the gorge and it > will do that only near the water and deep within the gorge. > The first image is obviously that of Rocky Mountain columbine. It > was too early to see it in profusion in the upper elevations, where > it becomes a carpet flower. Maybe next year. > The second image looks to the northeast and into the West Needle > and Needle subranges of the San Juans. To the right, the big peaks > include Elous at 14,083 feet and probably Windom and Sunshine, two > other fourteeners in the Needles. > The 3rd image is of Cumberland Basin, directly beneath us. The 4- > wheel drive road to near Kennebeck Pass visible in the basin is the > one we drove. Faye Schrater expertly drove the road and made the > experience a complete pleasure. > > Full report on today's activities this evening. > > Bob > > > > <Columbine.jpg> > <LaPlataSmall6539.jpg> > <LaPlataSmall6542.jpg> --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Eastern Native Tree Society http://www.nativetreesociety.org Send email to [email protected] Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees?hl=en To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
