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NORTH STAR PIT 112 RECLAMATION PERMIT APPLICATION <br />EXHIBIT J — VEGETATION INFORMATION <br />(a) Description of present vegetation types including estimates of cover and <br />height of principal species in each life -form represented; <br />This site has been mined under an approved 110 permit since May 2012. It is <br />being converted to a 112 Reclamation permit due to a slight increase in acreage. <br />As a result, the entire site is disturbed and there is scant vegetation. <br />(b) Relationship of present vegetation to soil types; <br />This site has been mined under an approved 110 permit since 2012. It is being <br />converted to a 112 Reclamation permit due to a slight increase in acreage. As a <br />result, the entire site is disturbed and there is scant vegetation. <br />(c) Estimates of annual production and carrying capacity if the choice for <br />reclamation is for range or agriculture. <br />According to the Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS), "most areas <br />with Peetz gravelly sandy loam soils are used as rangeland ... a few areas are used <br />as a source of gravel." The NRCS estimates that the average annual production <br />of air -dry vegetation ranges from 500 to 1,200 pounds and that livestock grazing <br />should be managed to maintain the desired balance of preferred species in the <br />plant community. <br />EXHIBIT K — CLIMATE INFORMATION <br />(1) Provide a description of the significant climatological factors for the locality. <br />This property is in a semi -arid continental climate strongly influenced by the Rocky <br />Mountains. The area is usually warm in the summer with frequent hot days. In winter, <br />periods of very cold weather are caused by arctic air moving in from the north or <br />northwest. Milder periods occur when westerly winds are warmed as they move down <br />slope off of the mountains to the west. <br />Weather monitoring data is not available from the site. The nearest weather monitoring <br />station is the Greeley UNC, Colorado, Station 053553 in the National Weather Service <br />(NWS) cooperative network. Figure 3 on the following page lists the average minimum <br />and maximum temperature, average total precipitation, average total snowfall and average <br />snow depth on a monthly and annual basis. Most of the precipitation occurs as rainfall <br />during the warmer part of the year with the heaviest rainfalls in the late spring and early <br />summer. Winter snowfall is frequent but the snowcover usually melts quickly during the <br />milder periods. <br />North Star Pit 112 Reclamation Permit 11 <br />Page <br />