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CHAPTERTHREE 3.7 VEGETATION 3.7.1 Direct and Indirect Impacts Piceance Site Environmental Consequences Vegetation Types. Impacts would be the same as these described for the Proposed Action, except for the following. The Yellow Creek Jeep Trail would be widened, instead of realigned. Removal of vegetation for road widening would affect about 3.7 acres of natural vegetation compazed with 5.2 acres from relocation of the road under the Proposed Action. A stormwater retention pond would also be added to the Piceance Site which would occupy 1.6 acres including berms, and would require an additional 0.5 of short term construction-phase disturbance within the pinyon juniper vegetation type. The net change from the Yellow Creek Jeep Trail and stormwater retention pond would be an increase of 0.1 acre of long-term disturbance and 0.5 acre of short-term disturbance within the pinyon juniper vegetation type. The Wildlife Mitigation Plan includes requvements to min;m;ze loss of higher density pinyon- juniper woodland during construction of facilities. This mitigation is included to protect mule deer thermal cover and woodland raptor nesting habitat. Pinyon juniper woodland occupies much of the azea of the mine panels, and it would be impossible to avoid. It is likely that the relocated facilities would still be located in pinyon juniper woodland, but in less dense stands where pinyons and•junipers occur mixed with sagebrush. While the overall azea of affected woodland would probably be the same, the number of trees removed would be reduced. Noxious Weeds. The Reclamation Plan (Section 5.1.4 of the plan) includes activities designed to reduce the potential spread of noxious weeds. Annual noxious weed inventories would be used to assess weed presence and level of infestation prior to disturbance, during operation, and in reclaimed azeas. Annual management plans would be developed based on the inspections, and control programs would be implemented as needed. All equipment would be cleaned before entering the project azea. Noxious weed training would be required for new hires and as part of annual refresher training. Weed control methods and practices would be scheduled to maximize their effectiveness. These measures would help to ensure that noxious weeds would not spread within the Piceance Site or onto adjacent lands. The Rio Blanco County Special Use Permit discussed in the Draft EIS is now called a Major Development Permit. It has now been approved and also includes conditions to prevent the introduction and spread of noxious weeds. Revegetation. The impacts would be the same as assessed for the Proposed Action, but more details have been developed to support the analysis. A detailed Soil Conservation, Erosion and Sediment Control, Reclamation, and Revegetation Plan includes descriptions of proposed erosion control methods, soil salvage and reconstruction, seed mixtures, monitoring, and revegetation success criteria. Up to 20 percent of azeas requiring vegetation 3-9