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Wetland Delineation Report for the Global Assets Mine Property, Weld County, Colorado <br /> 3.0 METHODS <br /> The methods described herein were implemented in the pre-fieldwork planning, the field <br /> survey, the reporting of the results in Section 4.0, and the production of all maps. 2DOT <br /> biologist Greg Everett conducted the field investigations on August 19, 2016. <br /> 3.1 Delineation of Waters of the U.S. <br /> 3.1.1 Desktop Analysis <br /> Prior to the site investigation, 2DOT conducted a desktop analysis to review baseline data for <br /> the project area, including U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) topographic quadrangle maps, <br /> National Wetlands Inventory(NWI) data, Colorado Parks and Wildlife habitat data, and recent <br /> aerial imagery provided on Google Earth. <br /> 3.1.2 Field Survey <br /> The field survey was performed by a biologist experienced in wetland delineation, <br /> identification of locally common native and non-native wetland and upland plant species, and <br /> experienced in the identification of ordinary high water marks,which define the lateral extent <br /> of waters of the U.S. in non-wetland features. <br /> The biologist surveyed the Mining Area by both inspecting features identified during the <br /> desktop analysis and by walking transects across the western half of the Mining Area, which <br /> is lightly to heavily forested with nursery trees that have become naturalized. The transects <br /> were walked in a north-south orientation approximately 200 feet apart, which was sufficient <br /> to observe variations in vegetation and presence of surface waters. While the ditches present <br /> within the agricultural fields were inspected, the active crops were not investigated unless <br /> abnormalities in crop growth suggested wetland habitat. Features were recorded using a <br /> Garmin GPSMap 64T"" (GPS unit). <br /> 3.1.3 Wetlands <br /> 2DOT followed routine delineation methods described in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers <br /> Wetlands Delineation Manual (USACE 1987), and in the Regional Supplement to the Corps of <br /> Engineers Wetland Delineation Manual: Great Plains Region (Version 2.0) (USACE 2010), <br /> hereinafter referred to as the Regional Supplement, to evaluate the presence/absence of <br /> wetlands in the field. Wetlands are characterized by a predominance of hydrophytic <br /> vegetation, presence of hydric soils, and presence of wetland hydrology. While surveying the <br /> Mining Area, the investigator scanned the area in search of visual evidence of changes in <br /> vegetation composition consistent with prolonged inundation or saturation, and changes in <br /> surface features suggesting wetland hydrology. If any of these circumstances were present, <br /> the investigator collected data necessary to complete a Wetland Determination Data Form, <br /> providing documentation of the presence or absence of wetlands. Determination of wetland <br /> habitat type, if present, was based on the classification system developed by Cowardin et al. <br /> (1979). If observed, 2DOT recorded wetland boundaries, at the upland/wetland interface, on <br /> GPS units with vertices recorded every 20 to 50 feet, depending on the shape of the wetland. <br /> 7 2DOT <br />