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primary limiting factor to topsoil salvage is occasional slopes in excess of 45%. Loams and clay <br />loams are the soil types most commonly found throughout the permit area. <br />Land Use <br />The most dominant land use, in terms of area, in and adjacent to the mine azea is rangeland. Other <br />adjacent land uses include irrigated and dryland cropland, residential areas, coal mining, electric <br />power generation, oil production, and recreation. <br />The postmining land use of the Yoast Mine permit area will be primarily livestock grazing with a <br />secondary use as wildlife habitat. <br />Wildlife <br />Wildlife baseline studies were conducted in 1993 and 1994. Wildlife observed included big game, <br />upland game birds, raptors, breeding birds (song birds), and small mammals. Details of the wildlife <br />study are located in Attachment 11-1 of the pemut application. <br />Big Game <br />The entire Yoast permit area is classified as winter range for elk, and summer habitat for mule deer. <br />Pronghorn were sighted on two occasions during the two year baseline monitoring period, in <br />Sections 5 and 9, near the haul road corridor. <br />Upland Game Birds <br />Sharp-tailed grouse, blue grouse, and sage grouse all occur within the permit boundary. Sharp-tailed <br />grouse leks were observed in Sections 5 and 9. Blue grouse. were observed in the permit area <br />throughout spring and summer, with one brood observed. Sage grouse range, production, and brood <br />areas overlap nearly 150 acres in Section 8 of the proposed permit area. There are roughly 80 acres <br />of sage grouse range and production areas in Section 16, and the entire haul road corridor is in sage <br />grouse range. There were no active sage grouse leks observed within the proposed permit area. <br />Raptors <br />Three species of raptors were found nesting in the wildlife survey area in 1993. They were Cooper's <br />hawk, red-tailed hawk, and great homed owl. Seven other raptor species were observed during the <br />1993 breeding season, but no active nests were found. The seven species were turkey vulture, <br />northern harrier, sharp-shinned hawk, northem goshawk, Swainson's hawk, golden eagle, and <br />American kestrel. Bald eagles and an osprey were sighted east of the proposed permit area. <br />Yoasl Mine 14 March 6. ?001 <br />