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• Protective/Mitigation Measures: The recommended seed mixture and rate is as <br /> follows: <br /> Western Wheat ass Pascopyrum. smithii 8 lbs/ac <br /> Blue Grama Bouteloua gracilis 21bs/ac <br /> Sideoats Grama Bouteloua curti endula 61bs/ac <br /> Indian Rice ass Achnatherum hymenoides 81bs/ac <br /> Sand Dro seed S orobolus cryptandrus 2 lbs/ac <br /> Bottlebrush S uirreltail El us elymoides 4 lbs/ac <br /> Columbia Needle ass Achnatherum nelsonii spp. 41bs/ac <br /> Mountain Mahogany Cercocarpus montanus 1 lb/ac <br /> Wax Current I Ribes cereum 5 lb/ac <br /> Total --+35.5 lbs/ac <br /> • All seed must be noxious weed free and meet certified seed quality. Seed must <br /> have a valid seed test within one year of being applied. <br /> Cumulative Impacts: Due to the many dry washes and other drainages that empty into the <br /> Arkansas River in the area, impacts for the project will be a minor part of total cumulative <br /> impacts. <br /> Finding on the Public Land Health Standard for Plant and Animal Communities: A <br /> formal health assessment in this area included an assessment of the"health'of public land in <br /> relation to Standards for Public Land Health. The interdisciplinary land health evaluations <br /> indicated that on a landscape scale the area is meeting applicable standards for public land <br /> health. A site specific evaluation of the project area indicates that it is not at or moving towards <br /> desired condition. <br /> 3.3.4 WETLANDS &RIPARIAN ZONES (includes a fmding on standard 2) <br /> Affected Environment: <br /> By proximity,this action involves an area directly adjacent to a segment of the west bank <br /> of the Arkansas River leading into the Royal Gorge, downstream of the Parkdale,Highway 50 <br /> bridge crossing. Swift flows,rock stream banks and rocky hill-slopes has limited soil deposition <br /> along the banks of the Arkansas River in this location so that riparian vegetation in the vicinity is <br /> either non-existent, or only along a narrow margin in areas with slight soil development. Soils <br /> deposited in some spots however have allowed for a rooted plant community of willow, <br /> occasional trees, and some herbaceous riparian plant species. Most trees near the project area are <br /> actually evergreen, not riparian species, but cottonwood and alder occur in the vicinity. As <br /> proposed in the modified Pan of Operations (POO) the new action avoids riparian areas,however <br /> historic and present mining has cast material down on flood-prone riparian areas and high flow <br /> has transported material from the site. Due to this activity being directly adjacent to the <br /> Arkansas River corridor riparian obligate wildlife species could be affected. <br />