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

Home Browse Search

bluegrasses (Poa spp.), yarrow (Achillea spp.), and an occasional prickly pear (Opuntia spp.). The topography is gentle, consisting of rolling upland slopes, flats, and terraces above and adjacent to the stream bottom. Disturbed Areas. This habitat includes areas disturbed as a result of construction of the coal. handling facility, abandoned cropland west of Dry Creek, and improved pasture in Section 10 (see Exhibit 11-1). Much of the old cropland area was redisturbed by rail/facility construction. Former crop areas were most likely used for wheat production or dryland pasture. Prior to disturbance or redisturbance, low sagebrush, alkali sagebrush, and big sagebrush probably occupied these sites. All dryland areas have been reseeded with introduced cool season grasses, alfalfa (Medicago sativa), and sweetclover (Melilotus spp.). Rubber rabbitbrush has invaded some areas although not to the extent of forming dense stands (see Tab 10). The predominant pre -disturbance soil is the Morapos clay loam (10-15 percent slopes) with a Deep Loam range site classification (see Tab 9). Topography within this habitat consists of gentle to moderately steep rolling hills with planer to concave surfaces and benches. Topography within the pen -nit area has been influenced by cut and fill activities associated with construction of the rail spur. Aquatic Areas. Aquatic habitat is limited to the surface area of ponds and the Dry Creek stream channel. Dry Creek is characterized as intennittent within the reach which bisects the Permit Area. For mapping purposes. wet portions of Dry Creek are included within the saline/alkaline wet meadow map unit (see Exhibit 11-1). The ponds contain water during some portions of most years, as evidenced by the presence of aquatic macrophytes and emergents within and surrounding the ponds. Habitats of Adiacent Areas. The Permit Area south of the haulroad is bounded by agricultural areas and upland shrublands. The Pen -nit Area is bounded on the west by abandoned cropland that has been reseeded with introduced cool season graminoids, small parcels of saline/alkaline shrublands, active dryland agricultural areas, and residential/light industrial areas (the Routt County Road and Bridge Department maintenance shop and the West Routt Rural Fire District training facility). Residential/light industry has replaced abandoned croplands and shrublands along the permit boundary to the west of the rail spur and the Yampa Valley Regional Airport. Improved pasture borders the rail spur in Section 10. Fish and Wildlife Resources Mammals. Table 11-2, Mammal Species of Possible Occurrence in the Hayden Gulch Loadout Pen -nit Area, presents a list of mammalian species that could occur within or adjacent to the Hayden Gulch Loadout Permit Area. The list was derived from the Colorado Mammal Distribution Lat/Long Study (Bissel and Dillion, 1992), by cross-referencing the habitat designations used in the study with those found in and surrounding the Permit Area. The SARB and DS designations in Table 11-2 correspond to the saline/alkaline shrublands habitat previously described. The MS habitat in Table 11-2 corresponds to the saline/alkaline wet meadow type, and the Cr designation corresponds to disturbed lands and agricultural areas. Aerial census of big game species has been conducted over the TAHR by Seneca Coal Company in the past. Flight lines overlap a large portion of the Loadout Permit Area (see Exhibit 1 -IA, Big Game Aerial Census Observations). Table 11-2A. Surnmary of Big Game Aerial Survey data for the Haul Road Study Area, 1979, presents results of the initial survey. The Annual Reclamation Reports prepared for the Seneca 11-W Mine document big game observations in the vicinity of the TAHR prior to the transfer to Hayden Gulch in 201 RN17-05 11-5 Revised 12/17