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<br />• <br />Vegetation Mapping - 1987. A blueline print of a single-frame black and white aerial photograph of the <br />study area at a scale of 1" = 400' was used as the base for mapping vegetation. Stereo-paired color and <br />false-color infrared aerial photographs at a scale of 1" = 500' were used to assist in photo interpretation <br />and delineating map unit boundaries on the base map. The map unit delineations were refined with <br />ground inspection while conducting the field sampling activities. Mapping units were based on the <br />vegetal type classifications previously identified. <br />The acreage of the various vegetation types were determined from the refined base map using a <br />Calcomp 9100 electronic digitizer. The digitizer is linked to an IBM (XT) personal computer equipped <br />with the appropriate software to calculate area from the digitized data. Each map unit was digitized and <br />the resulting areas summed for the corresponding vegetation types to calculate total acreages. <br />Vegetation Mapping - 1999. In 1999 a 1:2133 scale color aerial photo was scanned at 600 dpi and <br />used as a background to digitize map unit boundaries in AutoDesk AutoCAD R14. The resultant drawing <br />was then imported into Arc/INFO to obtain map unit acreage. The map was then refined and verified in <br />the field and final map unit acreage calculated. <br />As required under 2.04.10(3) vegetation mapping was carried out in a sufficiently large adjacent area to <br />allow for evaluation of wildlife habitat. In this case the adjacent area encompassed 1/2 mile outside of <br />the proposed mine permit expansion. Since this relates to wildlife habitat, it has been included on Map <br />2.04.11-1, Wildlife Habitats and Sampling Sites Map. The completed vegetation map including 1987 <br />and 1999 vegetation mapping efforts is presented as Map 2.04.10-1. <br />Floristics - 1987. A comprehensive plant species list was developed from floristic surveys conducted by <br />Dr. David Buckner of ESCO Associates, Inc. The floristic surveys were completed in late June and early <br />August, 1987 by conducting a walking reconnaisance of the study area and noting species occurrence <br />and distribution in the various vegetation types. The Floristic surveys were augmented with species Ilsts <br />prepared by Peabody's Environmental Scientists while conducting the quantitative vegetation studies. <br />Prior to conducting the floristic surveys, records of the Colorado Natural Areas Inventory (CNAI) <br />database (Colorado Natural Areas Program) were checked to ascertain the potential occurrence of rare, <br />threatened, or exemplary plants and plant communities in the New Horizon 2 study area. Care was <br />taken during the floristic surveys to thoroughly search each vegetation type for plant species that are <br />listed or proposed for listing as threatened, endangered, or exemplary in Colorado. <br />(REVISED 8/15/00) 2.04.11) - 12 <br />