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Vegetation in the area consists of gambrel oak, mountain mahogany, and short grasses on the slopes, and grasses on the open and flat lands. The proposed site does not contain any wetlands. ' Three phased grading plans are provided in Figures 2.2A through 2.2C. Features of the grading plans include preservation of hillsides to the north, knolls to the east and ridges to the south and west. ' Material will be mined from a central bowl with untouched areas screening the outside perimeter. A ridge and hillside to the north will remain undisturbed forming a visual barrier. A north facing ridge on the south side, above the access road will also be preserved. This will create backdrop for views ' over the ridges from the north. A knoll will be preserved az the east end of the site to screen views from the east. Ihainage basins will remain approximazely the same size, although slopes will change. An erosion control plan will control downstream sediment ' The first phase will remove materials from the southwest comer of the site. I•igure 2.2A depicts the initial mining segment, Phase I in its final or reclaimed grade. Note thaz the undisturbed areas, north, south and east of the proposed site will progressively screen the excavation work and equipment When the mining segment has reached its fatal grade, reclamation work will begin on the southern slopes while mining operations commence on Phase fI, the next segment to the north This procedure will limit the actual disturbed surface area az any time while effecting reclamation work during the ' early stages of the excavation period. Preservation of visible areas will minimize visual impacts in the early phases. The dominant exposed south face of Phase I will be reclaimed before it becomes visible from the north. 1. VISUAL IMPACT' ANALYSIS LI The grading and phasing plan are adapted ro the site to minimize visual impacts from surrounding areas as seen in Fgures 2.2A through 2.2C. Existing, vegetated hillsides will be preserved to screen the site. Phasing of mined areas will minimize visibility at each stage of the project Views of the si[e are further limited by the distances from the site. Ire to the separation from adjacent ' development and the dominance of the Rampan Range, the site affects only a faction of the field of vision. The existing, reclaimed pit located above and immediately west of the proposed site is visible but difficult to discern as a mine. The success of the applicant's past reclamation efforts offer visual evidence of the long term minimal impact of a reclaimed gravel pit Reclamation of the existing pit 1 primarily involved reseeding of natural grasses with no transplanting of natural shrubs or [rees. Because the reclaimed area is mostly grassed cover on uniform slopes, the configuration of the existing pit can be seen on the 1989 aerial photograph included in the Appendix as Exhibit A. The applicant intends to surpass previous reclamation efforts by creating more natural finished wntours and supplementing grass seeding with transplanting native brush oak and trees. In addition some 210 trees have been purchased by the applicant for planting in the reclaimed area. ' The applicant offers three methods of determining the visual impact of the site: a scale foam wre model (1"=100') ,computer enhanced photos and cross sections. The model is derived from existing topography and the proposed grading plan, and is capable of depicting each mining phase as it is completed. The photos illustrate the site from important vistas. Visible mined areas are depicted for each photographic view. The foam core model and the photography are provided separately from this P-2