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Soils within those portions of the permit area which have been or will be disturbed by surface operations <br />and facilities are generally deep, encouraging surface runoff. As a result, the water erosion hazard is often <br />high. Generally, available water capacities are high, reflecting the potential of these soils to store water for <br />plant use. Topsoil layers at the existing facilities are shallow, ranging from about two (2) inches to eight <br />(8) inches; surface textures aze generally loams or clay loams with subsoils ranging from clay loams to <br />clays. However, at the Roatcap Creek facilities soils are much deeper, ranging from two (2) feet to four (4) <br />feet in many places. Basaltic cobbles and stones are common throughout the profile of most soils. The <br />general area is somewhat susceptible to landslides, especially in the steeper topography of the mine bench <br />area and, as such, the continual sloughing of colluvial material in this azea impairs horizon development. <br />Vegetation Rules 2.04.10. 2.05.4(21(el. 4.15 <br />Information pertaining to vegetation baseline may be found on pages 70 to 75, Part 2.04 of Volume 1 and <br />in the Vegetation Appendix of Volume 9A. Information pertaining to the revegetation plan and vegetation <br />success criteria may be found on pages 67 to 76, Part 2.05 of Volume 1 and in the Vegetation Appendix of <br />Volume 9A. <br />Disturbance at the Bowie No. 1 Mine began in late 1975 but has presently ceased due to a temporary <br />cessation of mining. Initial disturbance occurred prior to any requirements for preparation of vegetation <br />inventories; therefore, portions of this mine site were not surveyed. However, as new areas are proposed to <br />be disturbed, they are first inventoried. <br />Nine vegetation types have been inventoried in the mine permit area, including agriculture, aspen, mixed <br />shrub, mountain meadow, oakbrush, pinon juniper, sagebrush, sparse herbaceous understory, and riparian. <br />The majority of the disturbed areas at Bowie No. 1 Mine are located in oakbrush communities dominated <br />by Gambel oak ( uercus gambelii) and serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia) and in pinon juniper <br />communities where Utah juniper (Juniperus osteosperma) dominates over pinon pine (Pious edulis). Other <br />communities disturbed to a lesser degree include agriculture (orchards), mixed shrub, and riparian. <br />No threatened or endangered plant species have been identified on the permit azea. <br />Fish and Wildlife -Rules 2.04.11, 2.05.6(21, 4.18 <br />The fish and wildlife resources sections of the application can be found on pages 56 to 87, Section 2.04 of <br />Volume 1 and in the Wildlife Appendix, Volume 9A. The Fish and Wildlife Mitigation Plan can be found <br />on pages 87 to 94, Section 2.05 of Volume 1. <br />The general area contains important winter range for both elk and deer, and over IQ000 hunter days per <br />year are spent in this area. Golden eagles have been nesting near the mine site for several years, but no <br />threatened or endangered wildlife species have been observed. The North Fork of the Gunnison River <br />contains twelve (12) species offish, including three (3) species of game fish (rainbow trout, brown trout, <br />and northern pike). However, due to the poor production of benthic organisms and poor habitat <br />conditions, the North Fork is not stocked frequently. <br />Impacts to wildlife are minimized by prohibiting public use of trails when big game are concentrated in the <br />winter (December I to April l6), and by prohibiting the cutting of snags except those within the actual <br />disturbed area. <br />16 <br />