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J! <br /> Transit Mix Concrete Co. <br /> Douglas fir as documented in Exhibit J. The proposed planting plan includes increasing the <br /> amount of ponderosa pine, which is preferred by the Merriam's wild turkey, thus improving habitat. <br /> Additionally, turkeys may also roost in Douglas fir. <br /> WHAT IS CONSIDERED PRIME HABITAT <br /> Elk <br /> Elk are one of the most adaptable of North American ungulates and inhabit a wide variety of <br /> habitats (Innes 2011). In Colorado, elk are generally found above 6,000' (Holland et al.2005) and <br /> prefer gentle to moderate slopes (<40%); slopes >60% are used less often (Innes 2011). They <br /> utilize a variety of habitats, which include lodgepole, spruce-fir, Douglas-fir, quaking aspen and <br /> mountain shrub types in conjunction with high mountain alpine meadows and lower elevation <br /> meadows and pastures, depending on the season. Elk require a combination of open meadows <br /> for foraging and woodlands for hiding cover, calving, and thermal regulation (Holland et al. 2005). <br /> Elk use several different kinds of habitat daily, seasonally and annually because the distribution <br /> and interspersion of plant communities and successional stages is critical (Innes 2011). Innes <br /> documented the distribution and occurrences of elk and reported that"Neither recent disturbances <br /> (<1 year old) nor undisturbed continuous forests support the highest elk density; early <br /> successional stages usually have the best forage, while middle and late successional stages <br /> provide the best shelter". He further wrote that "...the stage when herbaceous cover has built up <br /> but before trees and shrubs take over is"optimum"for elk. In areas where forest canopy openings <br /> are important elk foraging sites, the early-seral stage of vegetation is very short lived (10-20 years) <br /> and the period of optimum forage production may last only 5 to 10 years. Elk readily adapt to new <br /> habitats following translocation and readily colonize early-seral habitats after disturbance. For <br /> example, they commonly use logged forests ...and burns." <br /> Holland's elk species habitat assessment documents that "Ideal winter range includes north and <br /> northeast slopes consisting of densely wooded lowlands for cover, combined with south and <br /> southwest facing slopes for foraging opportunities. High quality transitional range usually includes <br /> meadows or pasture, aspen groves, and other woodland types that provide high quality forage <br /> enabling elk to gain weight prior to winter. Open water availability is important in association with <br /> the habitat types described." <br /> Holland further documents that elk use high elevation woodlands consisting of spruce-fir, <br /> Douglas-fir, aspen and/or Iodgepole pine stands combined with alpine and sub-alpine meadows <br /> during the summer. Elk's transitional ranges include "...lower elevation aspen stands in <br /> conjunction with montane coniferous forests. Winter range includes low elevation aspen, gamble <br /> oak, pinyon,juniper, sagebrush,especially where sagebrush slopes interface with ponderosa pine <br /> and aspen groves... Willow covered stream corridors are also important, used both for cover and <br /> forage on the Forest." (Holland et al. 2005). <br /> Hitch Rack Ranch Quarry Permit Application <br /> October 3,2017 E-18 <br />