2016-07-14_PERMIT FILE - M2016010 (4)

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1 CORE Noxious Weed Management Plan Hitch Rack Ranch Aggregate Quarry Development Project CONSULTANTS El Paso County, Colorado 1.0 INTRODUCTION Transit Mix Concrete Colorado, Inc. (Client, TMCC) retained CORE Consultants, Inc. (CORE) to prepare a noxious weed management plan for a proposed crushed stone aggregate quarry in El Paso County, Colorado (County, EPC). The quarry, associated facilities, and access road (Project) would be developed on a portion of a 1,522 acre series of parcels known as the Hitch Rack Ranch,which is located along Highway 115 approximately 15 miles south of Colorado Springs. Refer to Appendix I: Site Location Map. The Project is located in the foothills and piedmont of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, El Paso County, Colorado. The northern portion of the property is typified by rocky ridges dissected by steep, narrow drainages including Little Turkey Creek. Vegetation within the upper foothills of the Project is dominated by mixed-conifer forest with scattered areas of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) woodlands. The lower foothills and piedmont areas are typified by ponderosa pine, pinyon pine (Pinus edulis), Gambel oak (Quercus gambelii), mountain mahogany (Cercocarpus montanus), three-leaf sumac (Rhos trilobata), and juniper (Juniperus spp.). Herbaceous understory vegetation typically consists of blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis), western wheatgrass (Pascopyrum smithii), and fringed sage (Artemisia frigida). 2.0 NOXIOUS WEED MANAGEMENT The spread of invasive species roughly mirrors the rise in human travel and commerce (Mack et al., 2000; Sheley et al., 1996). Many noxious weeds have been identified as aggressive, weather resistant escaped ornamentals from residential landscapes (Westbrooks, 1998).The Federal Noxious Weed Act (7 U.S.C. 2801 et seq.; 88 Stat.2148) was enacted in 1975 in an effort to stanch the spread of noxious weeds across the country. Following guidelines set forth by the Federal Noxious Weed Act, Colorado passed the Colorado Noxious Weed Act (Act) (C.R.S. 35-5.5-103) in 1990. The Act identified noxious weeds particular to the landscape of Colorado. The Act defines noxious weeds as any non-native plant that: • Aggressively invades or is detrimental to economic crops or native plant communities; • Is poisonous to livestock; • Is a carrier of detrimental insects, diseases, or parasites; • Is detrimental, either by direct or indirect effects, to the environmentally sound management of natural or agricultural ecosystems. PAGE 2 OF 11 1950 W LITTLETON BLVD I SUITE 109 1 LITTLETON CO 80120 1303.703.4444