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irrigated; Sandy Bench range site. Sandy Bench Range Site This range site is moderate in extent. It is on the east side of the park next to the mountains. This site consists of deep well drained to somewhat excessively drained soils. The surface layer is coarse textured or moderately coarse textured. Slope ranges from 1 to 10 percent. Permeability is rapid, and available water capacity is low. Winter is extremely cold, and summer is cool. Annual precipitation is 12 to 15 inches; about one-half of this falls during the growing season. Permeability, texture, and available water capacity strongly influence the kind and amount of vegetation on this site. is 15 percent wheatgrasses, 10 percent plains reedgrass, 10 percent muttongrass, 5 percent Sandberg bluegrass, 5 percent squirreltail, 5 percent needleand- thread, 5 percent Indian ricegrass, 5 percent junegrass, 5 percent blue grama, and 5 percent other grasses. Penstemon and pussytoes each make up 3 percent of the community, buck~oheat and aster each make up 2 percent, and other forbs make up 5 percent. Also in the community are 10 percent big sagebrush, 5 percent serviceberry, and 5 percent other shrubs. On this site the hazard of soil blowing is severe; blowouts can develop if the vegetation is depleted. Excessive grazing by cattle usually causes needleandthread, bluebunch wheatgrass, muttongrass, Indian ricegrass, and junegrass to decrease and big sagebrush, rhizomatous wheatgrasses, tall rabbitbrush, Douglas rabbitbrush, and forbs that are less palatable to cattle to increase. Use of planned grazing systems and proper grazing practices maintain or improve the vegetation on this site. Because of texture, permeability, and available water capacity, range seeding is difficult and would expose the soil to blowing. Some forms of brush management, but not mechanical, are practical in some . pldces where there is a reasonable understory of climax plants. The estimated total annual production of air-dry plant material ranges from 500 pounds per acre in poor years to 1,200 pounds per acre in good years. About 300 to 700 pounds per acre is suitable forage for livestock.