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Division of Wildlife 1979 or by The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service have been observed <br />• or are known to occur in the area of the Edna Mine. <br />Non-Game and Domestic Species <br />Non-game species comprise the majority of mammals on the permit area. <br />Transect Observations <br />White-tailed jackrabbits (Lepus townsendii) occur in all habitat types. They ore <br />most numerous in the unreclaimed spoils and sagebrush, and like the cottontail and <br />hare ore currently aT a low population level. The most abundant rodents on the mine <br />are least chipmunks (Eutamias mininus) found in all habitats except the reclaimed <br />grass, and yellow-bellied marmots (Marmots flaviventris) which are concentrated in <br />the unreclaimed spoils (Table 2.7-4). Beaver (Castor canadensis) and muskrat <br />(Ondatra zibethicus) are restricted to the riparian habitat along Trout and Oak <br />Creeks. <br />Among The carnivore, the red fax (Vu p vulpes) is the most frequently <br />• encountered, followed by the coyote (Canis latrans). Long-tailed weasels (Mustela <br />frenato) and ermine (Mustela ermines) were frequently observed in 1979. The <br />numbers of all these species have increased based on sightings and trappings in spring <br />and summer, 1980. <br />The most numerous species of domestic livestock is the sheep (Outs aries). <br />They occurred on the mine from July through November, 1979, feeding in The aspen <br />grove along Center Ridge. Strays were also observed on the unreclaimed and <br />reclaimed gross habitats (Table 2.7-4). During the spring and summer of 1980, sheep <br />were observed in the mountain brush with strays observed in the reclaimed (not <br />topsoiled) areas. <br />Mammalian abundance from Transect sightings is highest in the unreclaimed <br />spoils compared To all other habitats (p < 0.01) (Exhibit 2.7-7). A significant <br />difference is also found between riparian habitat along Trout Creek and unreclaimed <br />spot Is. <br />Sessonsl abundance, wish or without livestock, does not show any statistics{ <br />differentiation, although late fall and early spring abundances are quite low. <br />• Seasonal diversity is lowest in November and March compared to the other sampling <br />periods (p< 0.01). <br />2.7-30 <br />