2018-02-05_PERMIT FILE - C1992081 ‎(4)‎

• Permit No: C1992081
• IBM Index Class Name: Permit File
• Doc Date: 2/5/2018
• Section_Exhibit Name: TAB 11 FISH AND WILDLIFE RESOURCES
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

5. Studies of fish and wildlife made in association with Seneca Coal Company's Seneca II -
W Mine and the Tie -Across haul road. Wildlife studies were conducted in 1979 in an area
designated for construction of the Tie -Across Haul Road which would allow Seneca Coal
Company to move coal from RCR 53 to the Hayden Power Station.
6. Site reconnaissance by qualified biologists from Peabody Western Coal Company on behalf
of HGTI conducted on October 7 and October 23, 1992.
7. Comprehensive literature review of CDOW and BLM databases for plant and wildlife
species of special concern in conjunction with RN -03 (2008) and RN -05 (2017).
Wildlife Habitats
This section describes habitats identified within and surrounding the Permit Area during field
reconnaissance conducted on October 7 and 23. 1992. The distribution of the wildlife habitats is
shown on Exhibit 11-1, Fish and Wildlife Habitats. Acreages are given in Table 11-1, Habitat
Types and Acreages Existing in the Hayden Gulch Coal Handling Facility pen -nit Area. Soils and
vegetation information related to each habitat may be found in Tabs 9, Soil Resources, and 10,
Vegetation, respectively.
TABLE 11-1
Habitat Types and Acreages Existing in the Hayden
Facility
Gulch Coal Handling
Habitat Type
Acreage
Saline/Alkaline Wet Meadow
5.4
Saline/Alkaline Shrublands
37.1
Disturbed Area
132.6
Aquatic Area
1.2
Saline/Alkaline Wet Meadow. This habitat occurs as a narrow ribbon along the banks of Dry
Creek and surrounding two existing sediment ponds (see Exhibit 11-1). It corresponds to the
Alkaline meadow vegetation community described in Tab 10. The dominant soil is Spicerton variant
(0-5 percent slopes), which typically occurs on alluvial fans and stream bottoms (see Tab 9). The
range site classification withinwhich the habitat falls is Claypan.
This habitat is structurally simple throughout much of the permit area and is limited in aerial extent.
However, moderately -incised cutbanks along some meanders of the stream channel are included in
this type and provide enhanced topographic diversity offering good escape and thermal cover.
Saline/Alkaline Shrublands. This habitat occurs on alluvial terraces, flats and upland slopes
adjacent to Dry Creek, and on slopes adjacent to the rail spur (see Exhibit 11-1). Vegetation
communities represented in this habitat include a mixture of rabbitbrush/silver sage, alkali
sage/greasewood, alkali sage/western wheatgrass, big sagebrush, and minor grasslands (see Tab
10). The dominant soil is Spicerton variant (0-5 percent slopes), and the range site classification is
Claypan (see Tab 9).
This habitat is moderately complex, consisting of a low to moderately statured shrub overstory
locally dominated by one or more salt tolerant shrub species (e.g., Chrysothamnus nauseosus,
Artemisia cava, A. longiloba, Sarcobatus vermiculatus), or big sage (A. tridentata). The
understory consists of a variety of forbs and graminoids including wheat grasses (Agroypyron spp.),
RN17-05 11-4 Revised 12/17