Laserfiche WebLink
• populations of cold water Salmonids. The irrigation ditches and natural drainages probably do not <br />support breeding populations of any fish species because of their intermittent nature. <br />Important Habitats <br />The New Horizon 2 Wildlife Study area, as described above, is predominantly the result of <br />agricultural and urban related land uses. On a regional scale, land under such intensive use is <br />of limited value to native wildlife populations. As such, additional impacts to native wildlife <br />populations and habitats within the region from the proposed mining operation will be minimal. <br />In 1999 an additional disturbance of 375.8 acres was proposed. Reasons why this additional <br />disturbance and reclamation should have minimal impact to wildlife populations in the area are <br />given below: <br />1) Niether of the Tuttle Draw or Calamity Draw drainages or their floodplains will be disturbed <br />as a result of the new mining. <br />2) While mining occurs on the amendment area, the existing mining area will be reclaimed to <br />more or less its original land use, thus no significant additional disturbance will occur. Disturbed <br />• acreage over the life of mine will barely change since the operation reclaims behind itself on a <br />continual basis. <br />3) As shown on Table 2.04.11 B, the amendment area contains 59.3 acres of sagebrush 2 <br />vegetation type which will be primarily restored as dryland pasture. <br />4) Total irrigated acreage will increase after reclamation from 267.2 cares to 319.6 acres. The <br />irrigated lands provide better soil cover and nutritious plants which are beneficial to wildlife. <br />5) The existing sagebrush areas within the amendment area are of poor wildlife value since <br />they are isolated areas among much larger tracts of irrigated land and these sage areas have <br />been heavily disturbed by farm and ranch activity, which has eliminated most if not all the <br />palatable species that wildlife uses in the habitat. <br />6) The dryland pasture to be restored for post-mining use will provide a greater diversity of <br />grass species for wildlife as compared to the existing sage communities. <br />7) 13.0 acres of current disturbed land will be restored as vegetated areas, which will enhance <br />wildlife use. <br />r ~ <br />LJ <br />(Revised March 2006) 2.04.11-35 <br />