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Baseline vegetation information is found in Tab 10, Exhibits 10 -1 and 10 -2 of the permit <br />application. Land Use of the area is depicted on Exhibit 4 -1 <br />Existing vegetative communities within the permit area consist primarily of dryland pasture, <br />improved pasturelands, and native rangelands. A detailed list of vegetation types is discussed in <br />Tab 10. Pasturelands that were disturbed during construction of the Loadout have been <br />revegetated to intermediate wheatgrass, crested wheatgrass, western wheatgrass, slender <br />wheatgrass, Russian Wildrye, timothy, alfalfa, and yellow sweet clover. Undisturbed native <br />rangelands are dominated by sagebrush, greasewood, and rubber rabbit brush communities. <br />These later plant species tend to be adapted to alkaline soils. <br />Wildlife <br />Detailed information on matters relating to fish and wildlife issues is found in Tabs 11 and 21 <br />and Exhibit 11 -1 of the permit application. A summary of that information is found both here <br />and in Section B, Item XII of this document (along with findings relevant to fish and wildlife <br />issues). <br />Four habitat types have been distinguished and described for the permit area: 1) aquatic areas <br />associated with streams and impoundments, 2) saline /alkaline shrublands, 3) saline /alkaline <br />meadows and 4) areas disturbed as a result of construction of the Loadout, abandoned croplands <br />and lands improved for pasture. Lists of possible species of mammals, birds, reptiles and <br />amphibians, of non - critical concern, have been constructed using distribution lat /long studies <br />developed for the State of Colorado. <br />As a part of the TR10/RN4 application, HGT provided updates regarding threatened and <br />endangered species and a discussion concerning the potential impacts to current State and <br />Federal Threatened and Endangered plant and animal species. <br />A biological inventory of stream bottom fauna for Dry Creek was conducted in association with <br />the permit application for the nearby Seneca II -W Mine (Permit C 82 -057). All listed threatened <br />or endangered species in the area, as well as other species of concern, have been referred to in <br />the permit and their habitat requirements and potential for occurrence described (as requested by <br />both the Division and USFWS). For information on protection afforded to Dry Creek's aquatic <br />community and any threatened and endangered species and other species of concern possibly <br />present, please refer to Section B, Item XII of this document. <br />The Division consulted with the Office of Surface Mining (OSM) regarding the need to conduct <br />a Section 7 Consultation. On September 26, 2013, the Division received a determination from <br />the OSM- Western Region Office that a Section 7 Consultation was not necessary for this site. <br />Cultural Resources <br />Information on cultural resources can be found in Volume 1, Tab 5 of the permit application. A <br />finding of no impact can be found in Section A, Item 5 of this document. <br />Hayden Gulch 12 February 11, 2014 <br />