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o . Transit Mix Concrete Co. <br /> (30ft) of the forest-meadow edge provide primary or secondary habitat. Turkeys prefer to brood <br /> within 10m (30ft) of cover, but they have been observed to range up to 45m (150ft) from cover. <br /> Forest or riparian areas with a moderate or closed canopy (>40%) cover provide secondary <br /> habitat. Brood rearing habitat must be within 0.8km (2,600ft) for broods that are only a few days <br /> older; however, older broods may travel as far as 23.4km (14.5mi) from the nesting area. <br /> (Vasquez, 2005) <br /> Roosting habitat requires moderate gradient slopes near ridgelines with a ponderosa pine or <br /> pinyon juniper forest canopy. Wild turkeys need open areas to take flight, and they typically <br /> roost in large, open pine trees 30 to 40 yards from the ridge line (CPW, 2017). Slope gradients <br /> within roosting habitat range from 20% to 30% for primary habitat, and slopes ranging from 5% <br /> to 20% provide secondary habitat. East-facing slopes are preferred, and slopes with north, <br /> south, or west aspects provide secondary habitat. Mid-aged ponderosa pine or pinyon-juniper <br /> forest with moderate to closed canopy (>40%) and multistory stands provide primary habitat. <br /> Mid-aged cottonwood, Douglas fir provide secondary habitat, provided there are multiple layers. <br /> Single story trees, regardless of species or age, do not provide roosting habitat. Trees often <br /> require a natural pruning process before the limbs provide the necessary open, multiple layered <br /> configuration. (Vasquez, 2005) <br /> Winter feeding and cover can vary due to the fluctuations in available food on a year to year <br /> basis. Ponderosa pine seeds and Gambel oak acorns are the preferred food of Merriam's <br /> turkeys, and turkeys will scavenge for seeds, particularly Kinnikinnick (bearberry) and pinyon <br /> nuts. Mid-aged ponderosa pine and Gambel oak forest with a closed (>60%) canopy cover or <br /> large Gambel oak forest provide primary winter habitat, and forests (same species) with a <br /> moderate (40-60%) canopy cover provide secondary winter habitat. In general, turkeys prefer <br /> slopes with south facing aspects for winter feeding and cover. These south-facing slopes <br /> important for winter feeding and cover will not be disturbed by the Quarry development. <br /> WAYS THAT WE ARE CREATING PRIME HABITAT <br /> While the mining and reclamation plan anticipates a change in existing topography, the <br /> proposed plan includes slopes suitable for big game to traverse and habitat. As stated above, <br /> elk prefer slopes <40%. The majority of the affected area (approximately 95%) will be reclaimed <br /> to slopes gentler than 3H:1 V which is 33%. The mining pit will be backfilled to the maximum <br /> extent practical to reduce the height of the final highwall and the areal extent of the highwalls. <br /> As detailed above, once mining is complete, portions of the fines and overburden stored in the <br /> F1 stockpile will be moved/rehandled to backfill additional areas of the pit to reduce the highwall <br /> height. <br /> As documented in Exhibit J and discussed above, species and habitat diversity within the <br /> project area is lacking. The mining area is predominately mixed conifer forest with small <br /> inclusions of ponderosa pine woodland, mountain shrubland and pinyon-juniper. The seed <br /> Hitch Rack Ranch Quarry Permit Application <br /> March 9, 2018 E-22 <br />