Two parallel trap lines were established on October 4, 1961, in the area
immediately south of Far View Ruins (Fig. 1). In altitude, latitude and
geographical configuration the area is similar to that trapped in the
Morfield burn, but the Chapin Mesa site had not been burned.
Canopy vegetation is pinyon-juniper forest. A dense understory was made
up of _Amelanchier utahensis_ (serviceberry), _Cercocarpos montanus_
(mountain mahogany), _Purshia tridentata_ (bitterbrush), and _Quercus
gambelii_ (Gambel oak). The ground cover consisted of small clumps of
_Poa fendleriana_ (muttongrass), and _Koeleria cristata_ (Junegrass),
intermingled with growths of one or more of the following:
_Artemisia nova_
_Solidago petradoria_
_Sitanion hystrix_
_Astragalus scopulorum_
_Lupinus caudatus_
_Eriogonum alatum_
_Penstemon linarioides_
_Eriogonum racemosum_
_Eriogonum umbellatum_
_Polygonum sawatchense_
_Amelanchier utahensis_
_Purshia tridentata_
_Comandra umbellata_
Seeds of _Cercocarpos montanus_ covered the ground under the bushes in
much of the trapping area, and large numbers of juniper berries were on
the ground beneath the trees. Individuals of _P. truei_ and _P.
maniculatus_ were caught in this area (Table 1).
Several deer, rabbits, one coyote, and numerous birds were seen in the
area. No reptiles were noticed, but they were not searched for. A
mountain lion was seen in this general area two weeks after trapping was
completed.
_West of Far View Ruins_
Three pairs of traplines were run west of Far View Ruins in an area
comparable in vegetation, altitude, general topography, and
configuration to the area previously described. The elevations concerned
are typical of the middle parts of mesas throughout the park. This area
differs from the trapping area south of Far View Ruins and the one on
Morfield Ridge in being wider and on the western side of the mesa.
The woody understory was sparse in most places, and where present was
composed of _Cercocarpos montanus_, _Purshia tridentata_, _Fendlera
rupicola_ (fendlerbush), _Amelanchier utahensis_, _Quercus gambelii_,
and _Artemisia tridentata_ (sagebrush). The herbaceous ground cover was
dominated by _Solidago petradoria_ (rock goldenrod), and
grasses--including _Poa fendleriana_, _Oryzopsis hymenoides_, and
_Sitanion hystrix_. Other herbaceous species were as follows:
_Echinocercus coccineus_
_Achillea millefolium_
_Aster bigelovii_
_Wyethia arizonica_
_Lepidium montanum_
_Lupinus caudatus_
_Yucca baccata_
_Linum perenne_
_Eriogonum racemosum_
_Eriogonum umbellatum_
_Polygonum sawatchense_
_Delphinium nelsonii_
_Penstemon linarioides_
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