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<br />by an inactive beaver dam located approximately 610 m (2,000 <br />ft) below Station 4 (aee attached map). . <br />Middle Creek is represented by thcee sampling stations (see <br />attached map). Station 1, its uppermost sampling site, is located <br />above coal mining activity. Station 2 is immediately downstream <br />of drainage from surface and underground coal mining operations, <br />while Station 3 is considerably below all coal mining activity. <br />Sampling stations on Fish Creek are situated above and below <br />a coal loadout facility (see attached map). Station 1 is upstream <br />of the loadout facility for the Middle Creek Mine, and Station <br />2 is downstream of this facility. <br />HABITAT DESCRIPTION <br />Lnnamed Tributary,to Foidel Creek <br />Habitat in the vicinity of Foidel Creek's unnamed tributary <br />Station 1 reflects the relatively high elevation (2,256 m [7,400 <br />ft]) of this sampling site. The gradient is steep (13.38) and <br />• the stream contains a series of beaver dams surrounded by aspen, <br />fir, and alders. During the July, 1981 sampling, the upper end <br />., of this stream was dry except for the uppermost beaver pond. <br />The substrate in the beaver pond was silt and clay with aquatic <br />macrophytes such as PotomogQten sp., Po ygon+~m sp., <br />Rununculus sp., and the algae Soirog ra ap, in and around <br />the pond. At Station 2, the gradient is only 1.78 and the stream <br />meanders through pastureland in a well-defined narrow channel <br />(0,5 m (1.6 ft]), The substrate is hard packed clay; and the <br />streambanka are undercut but stable. Station 3 is similar to <br />Station 2 in having no true pools or riffles, but being a <br />continuous 'run" meandering through grassland. The few riffle-like <br />areas have a fine gravel and sand substrate, while silt dominates <br />most of the stream channel. <br />Station 1 is located immediately above a small man-made <br />impoundment. The creek was dry at the time of sampling, but <br />• benthos samples were collected from a moist portion of the stream <br />channel. The creek meanders through sagebrush and grass, the <br />narrow channel (0.5 m [1.6 ft]) being nearly obscured by <br />overhanging SCirDUS sp. and Carex sp. Substrate materials <br />consist of sand and silt. Station 2 was also dry except for a <br />small pool at the mouth of a culvert. Substrate composition at <br />this site and Foidel Creek's remaining two stations is <br />• predominantly silt, clay, and sand, Stations 3 and 4 had no <br />