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Soils The proposed permit site is located in an "ustic-aridic" soil moisture regime and a "cryic-frigid "soil temperature regime. Moisture is limiting within these soils, but the soil moisture is present during the growing season as a result of the quantity and distribution of precipitation. The majority of soils found within the permit area are suitable for topsoil salvage in a depth of 0.5 to 3.5 feet. The primary limiting factor to topsoil salvage is occasional slopes in excess of 45%. Loams and clay loams are the soil types most commonly found throughout the permit area. Land Use The most dominant land use, in terms of area, in and adjacent to the mine area is rangeland. Other adjacent land uses include irrigated and dryland cropland, residential areas, coal mining, electric power generation, oil production, and recreation. The postmining land use of the Yoast Mine permit azea will be primarily livestock grazing with a secondary use as wildlife habitat. Wildlife Wildlife baseline studies were conducted in 1993 and 1994. Wildlife observed included big game, upland game birds, raptors, breeding birds (song birds), and small mammals. Details of the wildlife study aze located in Attachment 11-1 of the permit application. Big Game The entire Yoast permit area is classified as winter range for elk, and summer habitat for mule deer. Pronghorn were sighted on two occasions during the two-year baseline monitoring period, in Sections 5 and 9, neaz the haul road corridor. Upland Game Birds Sharp-tailed grouse, blue grouse, and sage grouse all occur within the permit boundary. Sharp-tailed grouse leks were observed in Sections 5 and 9. Blue grouse were observed in the permit area throughout spring and summer, with one brood observed. Sage grouse range, production, and brood areas overlap nearly l 50 acres in Section 8 of the proposed permit area. There are roughly 80 acres of sage grouse range and production azeas in Section 16, and the entire haul road corridor is in sage grouse range. There were no active sage grouse leks observed within the proposed permit area. Raptors Three species of raptors were found nesting in the wildlife survey azea in 1993. They were Cooper's hawk, red-tailed hawk, and great horned owl. Seven other raptor species were observed during the 1993 breeding season, but no active nests were found. The seven species were turkey vulture, Yoast Mine 14 August 3, 2005