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<br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br /> <br />002(181 <br /> <br />3.0 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION <br /> <br />It should be noted that the Williams Fork Project as a whole supports well-developed <br />native sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata)/grassland vegetation that is largely free of weeds, <br />Noxious weeds and common weeds (as used here, weeds not on the Grand County <br />Noxious Weed List) were encountered primarily in disturbed areas, including the project <br />public access sites. One of the noxious weed species appears also to have invaded <br />specific moist grassy areas and wet meadow habitat types at the project. Nevertheless. <br />the overall impression of the Williams Fork Project is that it is relatively pristine, <br /> <br />Noxious weeds were identified at 43 locations within the FERC project boundary, and <br />another 5 noxious weed sites were inspected along project access roads outside the FERC <br />project boundary, Of the 48 total sites, 29 recorded individual plants or very small <br />patches of weeds (designated NOXI), 5 represented linear arrangements of plants <br />(designated NOX2), and 13 delineated relatively large patches of weeds (designated <br />NOX3), A summary of the Williams Fork Project noxious weed data is provided in <br />Appendix A, A map showing the location of each noxious weed site surveyed at the <br />Williams Fork Project is provided in Appendix B, Photographs representing typical <br />noxious weed site conditions are provided in Appendix C and are identified there by site <br />number, <br /> <br />Of the 18 plant species that appear on the Grand County Noxious Weed List, only 5 were <br />discovered at the Williams Fork Project. These 5 weeds are Canada thistle (Cirsium <br />arvense) yellow toadflax (Linaria vulgaris), houndstongue (Cynoglossum officinale), <br />musk thistle (Carduus nutans), and oxeye daisy (Chrysanthemum leucanthemum). A <br />short description of the distribution and relative abundance of each of these species is <br />provided below. <br /> <br />3.1 Canada Thistle <br /> <br />Canada thistle is by far the most widely distributed of the weed species found at the <br />Williams Fork Project, and it also forms the largest weed colonies found there, Of the 48 <br />noxious weed sites studied at the project, Canada thistle occurred at 34, About one-third <br />of these were recorded as single points that represent individuals or small patches of <br />weeds distributed throughout the boat campground/launch area on the east side of the <br />Williams Fork Reservoir and west along an associated fishing access footpath (Sites <br />NOXI-501 through NOXI-506, NOXI-510 through NOXI-512, NOXI-514, NOXI-515, <br />NOX 1-518. NOX 1-520. NOX 1-522). Another noxious weed species, yellow toadflax, is <br />similarly distributed throughout the campground/launch area, and a wide variety of <br />common weeds, including mullein (Verbascum thapsus), curly dock (Rumex crispus), <br />pennycress (Thlaspi arvense), foxtail (Hordeum jubatum, Sitanion hystrix). <br />tumblemustard (Sisymbrium loeselii), yellow sweet clover (Melilotus officinale), and <br />others, also occurs there. The presence of these weeds at this site is clearly related to <br />removal of native vegetation and disturbance of soils associated with the high degree of <br />pedestrian and vehicular use of this public access site, Photographs representing typical <br /> <br />Williams Fork ReservoIr <br />HydroelectrIc Project <br />January 2004 <br /> <br />Steigers Corpuration <br />Noxious Weed Survey Report <br /> <br />Page 5 <br />