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~t~I~~OG <br />BAMBERG ECOLOGICAL <br />Environmental Consulting Services <br />_` .'~~a <br />November 16, 2006 ' <br />o~~ <br />o s~o <br />v <br />Ohi ra <br />Mr. Paul Glader si °eo <br />500 N. IM ne al Drp'IVe,ySuite 200 M'n 9a aS f Lo <br />Coeur d-Alene, Idaho 83815-9408 e~' <br />Re: Results of Seed Collection Trip to Mesita Hill Site in October 2006 <br />Dear Mr. Glader: <br />This letter is to document the seed collection efforts at Mesita Hill Mine (Mine Id # M- <br />1977-227) in Costilla County, Colorado during October 2006. Mesita Hill is an open-pit <br />volcanic scoria mining operation owned by Hecla Mining Company encompassing a <br />201.2-acre permit area. The mine is located in southern Colorado in the San Luis Valley <br />east of Highway 159 (Sec 26, Township 2 North, Range 74 West of the 6"' Principal Me- <br />ridian). The mine is currently undergoing closure process, a portion of which includes <br />the October 2006 seed collection. <br />The Mesita Hill climate was favorable this year for native seed production. During the <br />period in which seed was collected, local shrubs and grasses had very good seed set <br />and most of the seed was still on the plants. Bulk seed was collected by direct harvest- <br />ing from plants and from underneath bushes and in depressions that collect wind-blown <br />seed. Care was taken not to collect weed seeds along roads or disturbed areas. Collec- <br />tion was relatively easy and included minimal superfluous plant material. Approximately <br />443.4 pounds (825 gallons by volume) of bulk seed was collected from October 22 to 25, <br />2006. Pure live seed was estimated to comprise approximately 85-90% of the mix. <br />Three native shrubs -four-wing saltbush (Atriplex canescens), green rabbitbrush (Chry- <br />sothamnus viscidiflorus), and winterfat (Ceratoides Janata) -and one native grass -blue <br />grams (Bouteloua gracilis) -dominated the species from which seed was collected. <br />Less abundant grasses included Fendler three-awn (Aristida fendleriana), Indian rice- <br />grass (Oryzopsis hymenoides), and Scribner needlegrass (Stipa scribnen). Additional <br />shrubs included big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata), rubber rabbitbrush (Chrysotham- <br />3308 E. Geddes Drive Centennial, Colorado 80122 (303) 933-7291 1 <br />