Laserfiche WebLink
• Following the background seazches, a vehicular and pedestrian survey of the exploration <br />drill hole locations was conducted May 22-24, 2001 by Savage and Savage staff <br />biologists. The area investigated included a circular buffer zone with a 1000-foot radius <br />around the designated exploration drill hole location. Field observations were recorded <br />on data sheets contained in the Appendix. Site photographs are also appended. <br />SITE DESCRIPTION <br />The exploration drill holes aze located topographically above the Sanborn Creek Mine <br />facilities and generally on the upper erosional surface of the Fire Mountain area. The <br />exploration drill holes aze located within the upper reaches of the Hubbard and Bear <br />Creek drainages that flow into the North Fork ofthe Gunnsion River neaz Somerset. The <br />exploration drill hole locations range in elevation from 7280 to 8260 feet and are located <br />on Oxbow Mining Company, Hotchkiss Ranch, and BLM landholdings. <br />Soils types within the area reflect their origin and genesis as well as topographic position <br />and aspect. Dominant soils include the $eenom-Absazokee ]oams, Delson stony loams, <br />Fughes loam, and Toniorthent-Rock complex (USDA, 1976). These soils are all formed <br />on uplands, mountain sideslopes, and landslide areas. Annual precipitation is <br />approximately 18 inches. Beenom-Absarokee soils aze shallow to moderately deep soils <br />overlying bedrock at 20-40 inches. Typically, these soils have shallow loam surface <br />layers overlying clay at less than one-foot depth. Delson soils aze deep, well-drained <br />soils with a surface loam layer underlain by reddish brown clay to three feet depth. <br />Fughes soils are deep, we]]-drained soils on formed on landslide deposits. .Their surface <br />layer is a shallow (five inches) very dark grayish brown stony loam, and the subsurface <br />layer is dark grayish brown clay loam to sixty inches. Torriorthent-Rock complex soils <br />aze found on very steep locations and are often associated with rock outcrops. These <br />soils aze very vaziable and range from ten to sixty inches deep. The surface is generally a <br />stony loam with many weathered rock fragments overlying broken rock. <br />Oakbrush/mountain shrub is the dominant vegetation community at the exploration drill <br />hole sites, buffers, and along the road segment. This community is dominated by <br />Gambel's oak (Quercus gambeli~) with an open to densely closed canopy. Associated <br />sub-dominant overstory species include serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia) and <br />chokecherry (Prunus virginiana). Generally there is swell-developed shrub understory <br />that is dominated by mountain snowbeny (Symphoricarpos rotundifolius) with <br />chokecherry and serviceberry seedlings and occasional big sagebrush (Artemisia <br />tridentata). lrt the exploration drill sites investigated, there was generally a well- <br />developed herbaceous layer below and within the shrub and overstory layers. The <br />herbaceous layer contained numerous representatives of both graminoid and forbs <br />species, including; bluegrasses (Poa sp.), bromes (Bromus sp.), elk sedge (Carex geyert), <br />arrowleaf balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata), b}uebells (Mertensia sp.), delphinium <br />(Delphinium sp.), lupine (Lupinus argenteus), penstemons (Penstemon alpinus and P. <br />strictus), American vetch (Yicia americans), violets (Viola sp.), and yarrow (Achilles <br />lanulosa): <br />-2- <br />