PERMFILE45224

• Permit No: C1981026
• IBM Index Class Name: Permit File
• Doc Date: 12/11/2001
• Doc Name: SOILS INFORMATION REQUEST
• From: US DEPT OF AGRICULTURE
• To: WYOMING FUEL CO
• Section_Exhibit Name: APPENDIX I
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

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~./ UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT Of AGRICULTURE
So11 Conservation Servlee. Colora'dc
Tec.hnleal Guide RAND uu. 27U
• Section II E FIeIA Offlcc
August 1975
RANGE SITE DESCRIPTION
~~. .for -
VALLEY BENCH
Land Resource Area: Southern Rocky Mountains (48)
A. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS !
1. Physiographic Features
Broad-sweeping benchlands interspersed with low ridges and
• .. shailow swales are typical of this site. Slopes rarely exceed
15 percent, with these being mostly along the major drainages.

. Most of the site is within an elevatJonal range of 7300 to
+`~-
'~ 8300 feet.
.~
2. Climatic Features
•
- The site of high, dry mountain parks has Its plant commun,i.~,
governed by an annual precipitation of less than 12 inches and
a 50 to 90 day frost-f rep period. Optimum growing season for
• native plants is May 15 to July 1. Minds blow a high percentage
„ of the time and ere a feetor in keeping the surface soils dry.
3. Native (DOtentlal) Vegetation
This tressless grassland-sagebrush plant community contains
several bunch grasses mixed with turf-forming o-:neatgrasses.
Pine needlegrass, muttongrass, needle-and-thread, Junegrass,
bluebunch wheatgrass and Sandberg btu4gress are the most fre-
quently occurring bunchgrasses, Streambank wheatgrass, thick-
spike wheatgrass and western wheatgrass appear to hybridize
and make Identification bf these rhizanatous grasses difficult.
• Big sagebrush and low rabbitbrush.are the principal shrubs.
Shrubs of only occasionaa occurrence are bitterbrush and gray
:',,. horsebrush. Cushion typo fortis including pussytoes, phlox,
sandwort and buckwheat make up a rather significant part of the
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