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• within the study area indicate that incidental use is made of these orchards by the local population <br />today, but for all practical purposes, they are no longer harvested. In many cases, they are <br />fenced, but livestock are periodically allowed access to use the forage in the understory, as <br />evidenced by the "high lined" lower tree canopy and grazed condition of the understory plants. <br />Several operators complained of livestock health or digestive problems because of ingestion of <br />apples. The understory is predominated by herbaceous species such as quackgrass, plantains, <br />and dandelion. <br />Facilities were identified as farm support areas if they were located away from farmsteads. These <br />included animal handling pens, stockyards, silage pits, and equipment storage or boneyard areas. <br />These areas are dominated by weedy annual and perennial species. <br />Disturbed areas, a rather self descriptive term, included areas with heavy animal concentrations, <br />mechanical disturbance due to equipment operation, trash dumps, and waste ground associated <br />with various agricultural and support activities (Figure 4-10, Peabody Appendix 10-4.) <br />Ponds and irrigation ditches of various capacities are scattered throughout the study area. A <br />• large lateral ditch (West Lateral) runs through the western half of the study area, however several <br />smaller lateral ditches deliver water to the various irrigated fields, pastures and hay fields in the <br />study and permit area (see Section 2.04.7, Hydrology Description). The vegetation in or near <br />these ditches is dominated by many of the species that occur in the Swale and irrigation pasture <br />vegetation types. Cottonwoods, boxelder (Acer negundo), and willows are prominent components <br />of the vegetation associated with these ditches, while the dense cover of graminoid and <br />occasional forb species protect the banks of the ditches from erosion. A total of 17 ponds, 4 of <br />which are in poor repair, occur within the study area. Five of these ponds occur within the permit <br />area. Ponds are maintained to catch irrigation and storm runoff water for livestock use. All <br />operators stated that the ponds were not associated with any irrigation systems or water storage <br />for that purpose. The vegetation around these ponds is similar to that found in the Swale type and <br />along the irrigation ditches. Pond weeds found during 1987 include water milloil (Myriophyllum <br />sibiricum), pondweed (Potomogeton graminifolius) and horned pondweed (Zannichellia palustria). <br />A review of information contained in the SCS Montrose County Soil Survey and Peabody <br />Attachment 9-5 was made to determine the appropriate range sites applicable to the study area in <br />• (REVISED 8/15/00) 2.04.10 - 48 <br />