2022-04-29_PERMIT FILE - C2010089 (9)

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Section 2.04.10 Page 11 of 36 December 2021 (RN-02) Reclamation; Big Sagebrush; Irrigated Pasture; Dryland Pasture; Intensively Managed Irrigated Pasture; and Wetlands. The “minor communities,” which do not need any vegetation sampling include: Roads; Disturbed Road Right of Way; Reclaimed Spoil; Residential / Agricultural Disturbance; Livestock Ponds; Irrigation Ditch and Drainage Channels. With respect to the need for quantitative vegetation surveys on the previously mined lands within the equipment corridor, NHN was informed by DRMS, that a qualitative description of the vegetation resources in this area will be sufficient as long as the equipment corridor area does not excess five acres. A detailed vegetation map of all of the lands located with one half mile of the NHN permit area is presented on Map 2.04.10-1. Field Sampling Dates The entire field data collected in this vegetation sampling effort was collected between October 2008 and September 2009. At the time of the field sampling, all of the plants were actively growing and it is believed that the sampling was performed close to the period of optimum plant growth, when the plant cover and production were near their peak. A total of 129 plant species were identified in the 158 cover and the 105 shrub density transects sampled in this evaluation. A list of all of the plant species encountered in the field sampling efforts in this evaluation are presented in Table 2.04.10- 1. Vegetation Mapping All of the different vegetation types within the NHN permit area were initially delineated by using either a Trimble Model Pro XRS or a Trimble Model Geo XH global positioning system. These units have a real time accuracy of plus or minus one meter and once the data are post processed typically have an accuracy of less than one decimeter. Walking in the field, the boundaries of each vegetation type were delineated by walking either a line or an area feature wherein the boundary of each vegetation type was delineated. For those areas dominated by wetland vegetation and which are potential jurisdictional wetlands covered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) jurisdiction, these areas were delineated using the wetland delineations standards used by the Corps. The wetland areas were formally delineated using approximately 14,000 plastic wire pin flags. As required by the Corps, these wetland boundary stakes were then surveyed in using the GPS units described above.