2020-06-16_PERMIT FILE - C1981035A

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2.04. 10 - VEGETATION INFORMATION Map King II -006 provides a delineation of the vegetation communities disturbed by surface facilities at the mine, as well as the reference area. The plant communities within the affected surface facilities area are the rabbitbrush/big sage mixed shrubland and pinyon juniper woodland. The rabbitbrush/big sage mixed shrubland community is located on the relatively flat colluvial bottom that is present between the drainage basin side slopes. The pinyon juniper woodland vegetation community predominates from the edge of the flat colluvial bottom up the side slopes of the dissected drainage basins. Monitoring well locations in TR26 added one additional minor vegetation community, Agricultural/Hay/Old Field, described below. The majority of surface disturbance will occur within the rabbitbrush/big sage mixed shrubland community. The re -vegetation plan will focus on reestablishment of a mixed shrubland equivalent or better in utility than the existing community. Disturbance within the pinyon juniper woodland will entail no more than three (3) acres. For this reason, the pinyon juniper woodland was deemed a minor community in accordance with CDRMS guidelines, sampled qualitatively, and is not slated for reestablishment during reclamation. The Agricultural/Hay/Old Field vegetation community is found within the areas disturbed by monitoring well drill pads MW -3 and MW-HGA-4. The maximum surface disturbance at each drill pad is 0.23 acres, allowing this vegetation community to be considered a minor vegetation community for the purposes of this permit document. At drill pad MW -3, the site is at the boundary of an old alfalfa hay field that is no longer in active production and a bordering pinyon juniper vegetation community. The predominant vegetation of this old field is alfalfa and ruderal annual species. Reclamation at this drill pad will not return the drill pad to agricultural species or pinyon juniper, but will re-establish the predominantly native species in the approved rangeland seed mix in Section 2.05.4. At drill pad MW-HGA-4, located in Hay Gulch, the vegetation community is a mesic grass/alfalfa field in production. The field is dominated by wheatgrasses, orchardgrass, and alfalfa, and will be returned to this species mix during final reclamation, in accordance with the surface landowner's wishes. A complete description of the major vegetation communities is contained within the baseline vegetation report in Appendix 7. GCC Energy, LLC Section 2.04. 10 Page 1 King II Mine October 13, 2016 (TR -26 AR#2)