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feet above sea level. Terrain varies from rolling rangeland and • <br />agricultural fields at the north edge of the proposed permit area <br />(including a haul road corridor), to high ridges and steep slopes in <br />the central end south parts of the area. Most of the area's drainage <br />enters Grassy Creek, which runs along the southeast side of the permit <br />area. A small part of the area drains to Sage Creek, which borders <br />the southwest side of the permit area. <br />The proposed mine area and haul road corridor 11e between two <br />county roads: the Sage Creek Road runs along the west side of the area <br />and the Twenty-mile Road is along the east side. Surface ownership is <br />primarily private; several small parcels of land are under Bureau of <br />Land Management (approximately 360 acres) or State (approximately 80 <br />acres) control. The current principal land uses of the area are <br />summer sheep grazing, wildlife habitat, and hunting. • <br />The wildlife study area encompassed the proposed mine permit <br />area, and included approximately 2938 acres in Sections 7, 8, 16, 17, <br />18, 19, 20, 29, and 30, Township 5 North, Range B7W (Exhibit 11-1). <br />The proposed haul road corridor, that runs north through Section 5, <br />T5N, R87W, and Sections 28, 29, and 32, T6N, R87W (Exhibit 11-1), was <br />also surveyed during wildlife baseline studies. <br />METHODS <br />All field surveys were conducted by qualified biologists with <br />over ten years of experience. A list of mammals that could potential- <br />1y occur in the survey area was developed from range and habitat <br />information given in Clark and Stromberg (1987), and Burt and Grossen- <br />heider (1976). A potential avian species list was similarly developed • <br />from information in Peterson (1990), Robbins et al. (1966), the U. S. <br />2 <br />