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3.0 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION <br />3.1 Ecological Setting <br />The Nucla Mine is located at an elevation of approximately 5,700 feet. <br />The small areas of upland sagebrush, the sample area, are all located in <br />the Scraper Pit area and encompass the slopes and tops of several small <br />hills about 150-200 feet in height. Tuttle Draw and its tributaries <br />which flow to the San Miguel River, drain the area. The 6.0 acre upland <br />sagebrush reference area is located on a small terrace about 50-75 feet <br />above the stream. Figure 1 illustrates the location of the affected and <br />reference areas. <br />The climate of the area is semi-arid and receives approximately 12 <br />inches of precipitation per year. Pinyon/juniper and sagebrush <br />vegetation types predominate in the region. The most productive soils <br />of the region have been cleared and are now farmed. Historically, the <br />• native vegetation types have been used as rangeland for grazing <br />livestock, while providing habitat for wildlife. The reference area and <br />study area have not been grazed by livestock for a number of years. <br />However, mule deer and elk are common in the area and make moderate use <br />of these areas at various times during the year. <br />3.2 Uptand Sagebrush - Affected Area <br />3.2.1 Cover <br />This vegetation type is characterized by numerous native perennial <br />grasses amid a shrub composition dominated by black sagebrush (Artemisia <br />nova) and a diverse forb composition which has a very low cover. <br />Absolute cover by lifeform is 5.6 percent for trees, 9.7 percent for <br />shrubs and subshrubs, 0.6 percent for succulents, 12.2 percent for <br />perennial grasses, 3.5 percent for annual grasses, 0.5 percent for <br />perennial forbs and 1.2 percent for cryptogams. Annual forbs provided <br />• no measurable cover. Absolute vegetation cover is 33.3 percent. Soil, <br />litter and rock cover are relatively high at 30.8, 12.0 and 23.9 <br />percent, respectively (see Table 1). Figure 2 illustrates the general <br />site appearance within the upland sagebrush affected area. <br />~• :.~4.:_-...wltn,pv=y...._.k,. ::.s,,:.. . a.... _;.. _, . i~.r ~~ `-~'=_-~._ 5 ~±:a~-~... ..~..~.C. Y,~.. •~'_ - --~.'-~'z~--``~- <br />