Information on the biophysical features of Federal lands identified as suitable for transfer to the State of Colorado was requested by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). This information is intended for use in conducting an Environmental Assessment prior to the transfer of ownership (conveyance) to the State. The Colorado State Land Board filed a selective application to obtain public land and mineral estate in lieu of lands to which the State of Colorado was entitled but did not receive at the time of statehood. To address this legal obligation, 339 parcels of Federal lands (organized into 89 indemnity units [IUs]), currently under management by the BLM, have been identified as suitable for transfer to the State. The IUs include 23,130 acres of surface and mineral estate and 6,150 acres of mineral estate only. The specific land parcels to be transferred to the State will be finalized after an Environmental Assessment and other evaluations are completed.
To provide the biophysical information necessary for conducting a future Environmental Assessment of the potential effects of the proposed land transfer, information on ecological communities, soil characteristics, and land use was summarized at three levels: (1) all of Colorado, (2) lands under the jurisdiction of the BLM, and (3) the 89 IUs. Information was also synthesized and summarized for 179 plant and animal species or subspecies of management concern to evaluate which species had the potential for occurrence on IUs. Datasets summarized for Colorado and for indemnity units and methodological details for all data summaries are provided in U.S. Geological Survey data releases available online at https://doi.org/10.5066/F7GT5MGV and https://doi.org/10.5066/F7C24VQ0.
Citation Information
| Publication Year | 2018 |
|---|---|
| Title | Biophysical assessment for indemnity selection of Federal Lands in Colorado |
| DOI | 10.3133/ofr20181167 |
| Authors | Natasha B. Carr, Lucy E. Burris, Daniel J. Manier |
| Publication Type | Report |
| Publication Subtype | USGS Numbered Series |
| Series Title | Open-File Report |
| Series Number | 2018-1167 |
| Index ID | ofr20181167 |
| Record Source | USGS Publications Warehouse |
| USGS Organization | Fort Collins Science Center |
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Biophysical assessment for indemnity selection of federal lands in Colorado
Information on the biophysical features of federal lands identified as suitable for transfer to the State of Colorado was requested by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). This information is intended for use in conducting an environmental assessment prior to transfer of ownership (conveyance) to the State. The Enabling Act of 1864 provided for the conveyance of federal lands to the State for theBroad-scale assessment of biophysical features in Colorado
Information on ecological communities, soil salinity, and land use was synthesized and summarized for all lands in Colorado. This biophysical information was requested by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for use in conducting an environmental assessment prior to the transfer of ownership (conveyance) of federal lands to the State of Colorado. The Enabling Act of 1864 provided for the conveyance - Connect