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o Lands in the Conservation Reserve Program <br /> o Cropland <br /> o Alkali Sagebrush/Greasewood,and Alkali Meadow. <br /> Shrub stands in the premine landscape are dense and reduce the utility of the area for <br /> livestock grazing. Premine densities determined from baseline sampling data are: 12,562 <br /> stems per acre in the Mountain Brush community, 7,039 stems per acre in the Aspen <br /> community, and 6,087 stems per acre in the Sagebrush community. All vegetation types <br /> within the permit are characterized by cool season species. <br /> The permit site is located in an "ustic-aridic"soil moisture regime and a "cryic-frigid"soil <br /> temperature regime. Moisture is limiting within these soils, but the soil moisture is present during <br /> the growing season as a result of the quantity and distribution of precipitation. The majority of <br /> soils found within the permit area are suitable for topsoil salvage in a depth of 0.5 to 3.5 feet. <br /> The primary limiting factor to topsoil salvage is occasional slopes in excess of 45%. Loams and <br /> clay loams are the soil types most commonly found throughout the permit area. <br /> Land Use <br /> The most dominant land use, in terms of area, in and adjacent to the mine area is rangeland. <br /> Other adjacent land uses include irrigated and dryland cropland, residential areas, coal mining, <br /> electric power generation, oil production, and recreation. <br /> The post mining land use of the Yoast Mine permit area will be primarily livestock grazing with <br /> a secondary use as wildlife habitat. <br /> Wildlife <br /> Wildlife baseline studies were conducted in 1993 and 1994. Wildlife observed included big <br /> game, upland birds, raptors, breeding birds (song birds), and small mammals. Details of the <br /> wildlife study are located in Attachment 11-1 of the PAP. The entire Yoast Mine permit area is <br /> classified as winter range for elk, and summer habitat for mule deer. Tympanuchus <br /> phasianellus (sharptailed grouse), Dendragapus obscurus (blue grouse), and Centrocerus <br /> urophasianus (sage grouse), all occur within the permit boundary. Tympanuchus phasianellus <br /> leks are present in the permit area. Three species of raptors were found nesting in the wildlife <br /> survey area in 1993, comprising the Accipiter cooperii (Cooper's hawk),Buteo jamaicensis(red <br /> tail hawk), and the Bubo virginianus (great horned owl). Seven additional raptor species were <br /> observed during the 1993 breeding season. Haliaeetus leucocephalus (bald eagles), and <br /> Pandion haliaetus (osprey), were sighted east of the permit area. Fortyone species of <br /> breeding birds were observed during baseline wildlife surveys. Various species of rodents and <br /> small mammals were also observed during the survey. <br /> Description of the Operation and Reclamation <br /> The coal was mined by surface mining methods, beginning in the northern section of the permit <br /> boundary, then progressed south in subsequent permit terms. The majority of the coal mined <br /> comprised the Wadge seam, the exception being the mining area located in the southwest part of <br /> Section 20 and the northeast part of Section 29, where Wolf Creek Coal was also mined. The <br /> initial boxcut, developed in October 1996, was located in the northeast area of Section 17, and <br /> progressed upgradient to the southeast. Mining continued in the neck area, moving southward <br /> through the eastern portion of Section 17. Mining was completed in Sections 19 and 20, in <br /> 9 <br />