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<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> 4 <br />At each undisturbed location, a formal soil pedon description was taken. The completed pedon <br />forms are found in Appendix 2.04.9-1. Each pit was photographed, and 28 samples from 11 sites <br />were collected for laboratory analysis. Table 2.04.9-6 lists the chemical and physical properties <br />of those samples. For test pits located in the disturbed and reclaimed area, only depths of topsoil <br />to be salvaged were noted. <br /> <br />ERMR has mapped eight soil units in the NHN Mine permit area: Aquolls, 0 to 3% slopes; 77 <br />Pinon, 3 to 12% slopes; 78 Pinon, 5 to 30% slopes; 78 Ustic Torriorthents, 5 to 30% slopes; 81 <br />Progresso loam, 3 to 6% slopes; 82 Progresso loam, 6 to 12% slopes; and Rock Outcrop-Orthents <br />Complex, 40-90% slopes. Soils redistributed upon the reclaimed Peabody disturbance are mapped <br />as REC. <br /> <br />Suitability of the various soils for salvage was determined using criteria of the Wyoming <br />Department of Environmental Quality (WyDEQ) "Suitability Ratings for Soils as Sources of <br />Topsoil Material". All of the soils were rated "good" with respect to soil reactivity, electrical <br />conductivity, saturation percentage, sodium adsorption ration, Selenium, and Boron. Texturally, <br />the samples were classified as "good" to "fair". With respect to Moist and Dry Consistence, most <br />of the samples corresponded with the "good" to "fair" suitability classes. The most limiting <br />parameter, coarse fragment content, was estimated in the field and is recorded on the pedon forms. <br />Suitable depths of topsoil salvage for each test pit location, together with estimated salvage <br />volumes for each soil type, are shown on Map 2.04.9-3 of the application. <br /> <br />Vegetation - Section 2.04.10 <br /> <br />The natural vegetation in the Nucla area is pinyon-juniper woodland and sagebrush shrub land. <br />More than 100 years of intensive agriculture in the area has resulted in there being only scattered <br />remnants of the native vegetation types. Prior to agricultural conversion, sagebrush shrub lands <br />occupied the park-like areas with deeper soils and more gentle slopes, while the more broken <br />upland areas with shallow, coarse textured soils were occupied by the pinyon-juniper woodlands. <br /> <br />In the baseline survey, six major plant community types were delineated within the New Horizon <br />North Mine area, as shown on Map 2.04.10-1 Permit Area Vegetation Map. The six types are: <br />Topsoiled Reclamation (REC), Big Sagebrush (SB), Irrigated Pasture (IP), Dryland Pasture (DP), <br />Intensively Managed Irrigated Pasture (IMIP), and Wetlands (WET). The pre-mine area was <br />intensively developed for agricultural uses, and also includes minor acreages of roads, <br />residential/agricultural disturbances, and livestock ponds. <br /> <br />Following delineation of the plant community types, transects for sampling were generated. Plant <br />cover, production, and shrub density were evaluated. Vegetation sampling was conducted for the <br />mining area between October 2008 and August 2009, and for the equipment corridor between <br />August and November 2009. Reference areas intended for use in evaluating the revegetation <br />success of Irrigated Pasture and Dryland Pasture were also sampled. Map 2.04.10-2 shows the <br />vegetation communities existing on lands surrounding the permit area. <br /> <br />The potential for impacts to threatened or endangered plant species was investigated by ERMR, <br />and they conclude that the unique habitat types associated with these species are lacking for this