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<br />• Vegetation <br />Energy Fuels plans to revegetate the permit area by seeding with a mixture of <br />approximately 80 percent na[Sve and 20 percent introduced species. In <br />addition to the seed mixture, the company will transplant trees and shrubs and <br />plant tubelings and bare-root stock. The company has agreed to establish <br />vegetation reference areas and to sample vegetation to compare reference areas <br />with corresponding premining range sites. Statistical comparisons will be <br />made by September 1980. Success of revegetated areas will be evaluated for <br />soils, slope, aspect, range condition, and reference area vegetation data. <br />The company will make statistical comparisons between premining and proposed <br />reference areas using vegetation cover and production data. In addition, the <br />company must make statistical comparisons between postmining revegetation and <br />reference areas using vegetation cover, and production data to measure <br />revegetation success prior to bond release. The regulatory authority is <br />stipulating that vegetation diversity also be evaluated. Energy Fuels will <br />manage the revegetated areas throughout the liability period. <br />Adverse impacts from the proposed operation will include a toes of vegetation <br />and, hence, wildlife habitat on 1,800 acres during mining and for a short <br />period after mining. Some small, less mobile wildlife species will be killed, <br />and other species will be displaced until a stable community similar to the <br />premining community is established. Long-term impacts will include the <br />destruction of a low sagebrush range site (2X of the total area to be mined) <br />• and a unique community of aspen (17X of the total area to be mined) used as an <br />elk calving ground. Both of these sites occur on shallow soil (bedrock is <br />within 20 inches of the surface) that is underlain by sandstone, which <br />prohibits growth of deep-rooted plant species. The low sagebrush community <br />will be replaced by a community of species (grass-forbes-shrubs) from the <br />range site seed mix that includes big sagebrush. <br />The aspen range site associated with the historic elk calving ground is an <br />open aspen stand that provides forage of high nutrient value necessary for <br />lactating elk. During mining, the company will attempt to relocate the elk <br />calving ground to an adjacent area. After mining, Energy Fuels will try to <br />re-establish the historic calving ground by seeding and by planting aspens. <br />Over a long period of time, OSM staff believe shrub species will encroach on <br />the site because the replaced soil will be deeper than the soil that exists <br />now and will no longer be prohibitive to growth of deep-rooted plant species <br />(sandstone bedrock will be gone). Most impacts to the elk will occur during <br />the destruction and the first relocation of the calving ground. (See fish and <br />wildlife section for discussion of impacts to elk.) <br /> <br />• - 17 - <br />