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• Aspen - A large stand of aspen occurs in anorth-flowing drainage at <br />the south end of The mine property. The northern aspect of this drainage system <br />decreases moisture loss due to evaporation by the sun. The increased water <br />availability allows the growth of mature aspen trees (Populus iremuloides). This <br />aspen stand is comprised of the only full-sized trees on the ridge where the mine is <br />located as the rest of the ridge consists of mined areas and mountain shrub. The <br />aspen stand is bordered by reclaimed spoils planted with grass, active mining, and <br />mountain shrub on the southern aspect of The ridge. Despite the apparent availability <br />of water the aspen canopy limits the amount of light reaching the ground and only <br />a moderately dense shrub understory exists. The understory consists of mountain <br />snowberry (Symphoricarpos oreophilus) Wood's rose (Rosa woodsii), serviceberry <br />(Amelanchier alnifolia), chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) and others. <br />Aspen trees also occur in small stands located within the mountain shrub <br />community on the north end of the mine complex. These small aspen stands contain <br />a larger grass component than The large stand to the south. Also, plant composition <br />in these stands is influenced by the adjacent mountain shrub community. <br />Mountain Shrub -The mountain shrub habitat is similar to the riparian <br />• in that it consists of an interspersion of tall and short vegetation, creating an <br />abundance of "edge". The tall vegetation in the mountain shrub habitat on the <br />Moffat Area is predominately Gambel Oak (Quercus gambelii) and serviceberry <br />averaging 3 to 5 meters in height. Big sage (Artemisia tridentata) and mountain <br />snowberry comprise the short vegetation which occurs in small and large open <br />patches throughout the oak and serviceberry, generally located in The center of small <br />drainages. <br />The mountain shrub habitat occurs on 10 to 15 percent west-facing slopes <br />extending east of Trout Creek and north of the reclaimed spoils area. This area is <br />relatively smooth with only slight depressions where drainages descend the slope and <br />although the area is relatively arid, the oak, serviceberry, and sagebrush/snowberry <br />vegetation is quite dense. <br />Sagebrush -The sagebrush community ococurs on both sides of Trout <br />Creek adjacent to the riparian vegetation. To the west of Trout Creek, off the mine <br />permit area, sagebrush occurs near agricultural land and small aspen groves. It <br />occurs in a strip between the riparian and mountain shrub communities to the east <br />of Trout Creek where the wildlife iransect was located. Consequently, wildlife data <br />show some animal species that are usually found in riparian and mountain shrub <br />habitats but occur only occasionally in sagebrush. The sagebrush is not vegetatively <br />2.7-4 <br />