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Based on CDRMS regulations and information obtained from the county, noxious weeds in this report <br />and associated Permit Application are those species found on the Colorado Department of Agriculture <br />website at: httnJ/www.colorado.aov/cs/Satellite?c=Pave&cid as accessed on 10 October 2014, which <br />has been assembled per the provisions of the Colorado Weed Management Act. This site contains <br />three lists of noxious weeds, List A, List B and List C. Since this State list is more current than the Moffat <br />County Noxious Weed list, all species listed on the Colorado Noxious Weed list found on either List A, <br />List B or List C, will be considered to be "noxious weeds" for purposes this vegetation survey. <br />2.4 Rare and Endangered Plant Species <br />The potential presence of Rare and Endangered Plants was determined based upon a careful review of <br />the existing scientific literature and consultation with the CDRMS and the Colorado Division of Parks and <br />Wildlife (CPW). The most comprehensive treatment of this topic is found on the website of the Colorado <br />Natural Heritage Program found at www.cnho,colostate.edu. which contains comprehensive Colorado <br />rare plant information that is continuously updated. The potential presence of plants that are considered <br />to be either Rare or Endangered Plants are discussed under Results below. <br />3.0 Results <br />3.1 Vegetation Sampling <br />A detailed vegetation map of the PR -7 Mine Expansion Area is presented on Map 48A. This map is the <br />result of both a desktop analysis and field delineation of the vegetation and land cover in the PR -7 Mine <br />Expansion Area. The results stow that for the 795.71 acres within the PR -7 Mine Expansion Area <br />vegetation study area, there are six different vegetation or land cover types. These are named with <br />acreages as follows: Mountain Shrub; 637.33 acres; Grassland - 81.69 acres, with a Wetland subtype <br />containing 5.28 acres; Big Sagebrush - 54.03 acres; Aspen -15.12 acres; Home Sites - 2.09 acres and <br />Ponds - 0.17 acres. <br />According to page 3 of the CDRMS Vegetation Guideline, quantitative vegetation sampling is "generally" <br />required only for "major vegetation" types, which are described as "those communities whose total <br />aggregate area occupies more than 5% [39.79 acres] of the permit area or more than 10 acres, <br />whichever is smaller." Application of these criteria means that there are only three major plant <br />communities within the PR -7 Mine Expansion Area. These include, in order of descending acreage: <br />Mountain Shrub - 637.33 acres; Grassland - 81.69 acres, and Big Sagebrush - 54.03 acres. The "minor <br />communities," which do not require vegetation sampling include the Aspen -15.12 acres; Home Sites - <br />2.09 acres and Ponds - 0.17 acres. Approval was obtained from the CDRMS in the pre -consultation <br />meetings to not sample the Aspen plant community as it is outside of the potential mine disturbance <br />area. <br />3.1.1 Vegetation Mapping <br />The CDRMS Vegetation Guideline recommends that "vegetation type delineation should be based on <br />existing, visually dominant species ..." However, for this site that suggestion does not always apply. <br />According to the existing Trapper Mine Permit and in the Land Use sections, there is often a <br />considerable overlap between vegetation types and land use patterns. For example, the areas mapped <br />as Grassland in the current evaluation would be mapped in the Land Use descriptions as corresponding <br />to Dryland Pasture, and there are often localized areas with identical visually dominant species but which <br />pertain to different land use categories. Thus, while there is normally a high amount of correlation <br />