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With regard to other plant species not listed as threatened or endangered by USFWS, but regarded as <br />rare by the Colorado Natural Heritage Inventory (CNHP 1996 and update through 12/2016), several <br />have known occurrences in Northwest Colorado (Leathery grape fern, Crandall's wild hollyhock, Large - <br />flowered globe -mallow, Gay -feather, Many -stem stickleaf, Autumn willow). These occurrences are <br />mostly at lower elevations and further west than the IIW South Extension Area. Many of these require <br />seepy sandstone cliffs not found in the study area, and many occur on outcrop sites where active <br />weathering and erosion keeps soils thin and competition low. These latter conditions are also not <br />characteristic of the study area. Some of these rare plant species are early season annuals whose <br />presence could not be determined in a study that began in July. Early season floral inventory would be <br />required to assess these species and fill in the early season flora missing from the study area species list, <br />however, since the Mine is in reclamation and no further disturbance is anticipated, further study is not <br />warranted. <br />Livestock Carrying Capacity <br />Livestock carrying capacities for cattle based on project -specific production datra from 1997 would be <br />estimated as follows. Readers should be mindful that the very wet conditions of 1997 provided <br />unusually high carrying capacity estimates. <br />Aspen Forest Affected Area — 0.516 animal unit months per acre (aum/ac) <br />Aspen Forest Extended Reference Area - 0.475 aum/ac <br />Mountain Brush Affected Area — 0.484 aum/ac <br />Mountain Brush Extended Reference Area — 0.502 aum/ac <br />Steep Mountain Brush Affected Area - 0.470 aum/ac <br />Steep Mountain Brush Extended Reference Area — 0.461 aum/ac <br />Sagebrush/Snowberry Affected Area — 0.512 aum/ac <br />Sagebrush/Snowberry Extended Reference Area — 0.830 aum/ac* <br />Western Wheatgrass/Alkali Sagebrush Affected Area — 1.028 aum/ac** <br />Western Wheatgrass/Alkali Sagebrush Extended Reference Area — 0.870 aum/ac** <br />Mesic Drainage Affected Area — 2.227 aum/ac <br />Mesic Drainage Extended Reference Area —1.934 aum/ac <br />* High production bracken fern sites that raised the average are likely not of any forage value <br />** Elevated because of higher than average moisture in 1997 <br />61 12/07/16 <br />