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RULE 2 PERMITS <br /> <br />South Taylor – Rule 2, Page 39 Revision Date: 7/21/25 <br /> Revision No.: MR-267 <br />3.7 of Exhibit 10, Item 5). Bare ground was considerably lower with 5.6 percent exposure, and litter and <br />rock combined were 20.1 percent which was also lower than study area samples. Within the reference <br />area, perennial forbs were the most abundant group with 25.7 percent cover. Silvery lupine, American <br />vetch, one-flowered hellianthella and aspen peavine were the most abundant forbs. Perennial grasses had <br />19.1 percent cover of which Kentucky bluegrass was the dominant grass. Shrubs had 28.4 percent cover <br />of which western snowberry and Douglas rabbitbrush had 9.5 and 9.6 percent cover, respectively, while <br />big sagebrush had 8.3 percent cover. <br />The mean annual herbaceous production within the sagebrush-grassland vegetation type was 123.4 grams <br />per square meter (Table 3.7 of Exhibit 10, Item 5). Perennial grasses contributed 82.2 grams per square <br />meter to the total production while perennial forbs contributed 35.8 grams per square meter. Dominant <br />grasses included Kentucky bluegrass with 21.0 grams per square meter, bluebunch wheatgrass with 18.8 <br />grams per square meter, and western wheatgrass with 22.0 grams per square meter. The dominant forb <br />was silvery lupine with 5.0 grams per square meter. Other miscellaneous perennial forbs contributed 24.5 <br />grams per square meter. Mean annual production within the reference area samples was 185.4 grams per <br />square meter (Table 3.7 of Exhibit 10, Item 5). Perennial grasses contributed the majority of the <br />production with 120.8 grams per square meter. Kentucky bluegrass was the dominant grass with 80.2 <br />grams per square meter, followed by nodding brome with 10.9 grams per square meter. Needlegrasses, <br />including Letterman and subalpine, contributed 7.0 and 4.3 grams per square meter, respectively. Total <br />perennial forbs had 60.3 grams per square meter of which silvery lupine had 22.0 grams per square meter. <br />Leguminous forbs including American vetch and aspen peavine contributed 16.8 grams per square meter. <br />Mean density of woody species within the sagebrush-grassland study area samples was 54.7 individuals <br />per 50 square meters (Table 3.7 of Exhibit 10, Item 5). Big sagebrush was the dominant shrub with 24.6 <br />individuals per 50 square meters. Western snowberry and Douglas rabbitbrush had 12.4 and 10.2 <br />individuals per 50 square meters, respectively. Other important shrubs included rubber rabbitbrush and <br />fourwing saltbush in the sagebrush bluebunch wheatgrass phase, and woods rose, Gambel oakbrush and <br />western snowberry in other phases. <br />The mean number of species encountered along the 50 meter point cover transect was 9.6 and 11.3, <br />respectively, for study and reference area samples (Table 3.7 of Exhibit 10, Item 5). <br />Average herbaceous production in the sagebrush-grassland type was 1,100 lbs. / acre oven-dry forage. <br />Converting oven to air-dry forage by a factor of 1.11, yields 1,222 lbs. / acre available herbaceous air-dry <br />forage. Assuming a 50 per cent utilization factor and 900 lbs. / acre cattle animal unit, the cattle carrying <br />capacity was 0.68 AUM's per acre. For sheep the carrying capacity was 4.07 AUM's per acre. <br />Meadow – [Equivalent to the Bottomland Type discussed for Lower Wilson.] The meadow vegetation <br />type occurred along the creeks and most major drainages throughout the study area. Major areas occur <br />along Good Spring, Wilson, West Fork of Good Spring and East Fork of Wilson Creeks. The meadow <br />type was exceedingly variable dependent upon moisture and soils. In areas where water was at the <br />surface sedges and rushes dominated, Nebraska sedge, common cattail, and bulrush were common <br />(Figure 3.11 of Exhibit 10, Item 5). Willows dominated several areas although they never formed <br />continuous thickets. Grasses, including Kentucky bluegrass, Great Basin wildrye, western wheatgrass, <br />slender wheatgrass, dominated most areas (Figure 3.12 of Exhibit 10, Item 5). Numerous forb species <br />also occurred within this type. The meadow type is very productive and is easily grazed because of its <br />relatively flat terrain and easy access to water. Consequently areas have been severely overgrazed and <br />numerous weedy species occur within the type. Canada thistle is common in all drainages and forms <br />continuous patches in places. Quackgrass is also common. Coneflower dominates several areas in the <br />upper portions of West Fork (Figure 3.13). The meadow vegetation type was not sampled because the