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~' Y ~ 1 .04.10 VEGETATION INFORMATIOIV Two dominant plant communities occur within and adjacent to the proposed permit area. The two are the Semidesert Sandy ~oarn plant community and the Pinyon-Juniper Woodland plant community. The Semidesert Sandyloam landscape within the permit area occurs as upland benches with slopes varylnq from 1 to 15 per- cent. The dominant slope is to the north but 1lmited east and we=,t aspects a1=.o occur as do complexes including some shallow rocky _°.oils. The dominant soils are deep and well to excessively drained. They formed in alluvium or aeolian sands derjved mainly from sandstone. The surface textures are predominantly brown or reddish brown fine sandy loamy or loamy fine sands 4 to 6 inches thick. The subsoil to a depth of 60 inches varies from a pinkish white loam to a pale brown and pink loam. The permeabLlity of these soils is moderate to rapid with a water holding capacity varv>nq from low to high. Runoff js slow and the hazard of water erosion is slight. Effective rooting depth i=. 6U inches or more. Average annual precspitation varies from 9 to 11 inches. with peak periods jn March and Sept.eniber. Past range management of the area has included extensive sagebrush control using chajninq, sprav~ng and high concentration graztnq. The land owner has also performed some clearing of woody specjes such as. Pinyon and Juniper. Wildlife such as deer and elk use the area extensjvely j.n the spring and fall. The growing season begins in mid March utilizing moisture from winter snows and late winter rain. The pen od of c:ptlmum growth js from early April t.o late June. F. period of second growth activity may occur in late fall utilizing a second mois- ture peal< in September. The growlnq season for native grasse=_; is about 130 days- Winter=_• in the area are cold and summery very warm. The Soil Conservation Service. (SCE), performed range condj- C1on inventory surveys within the permit and ad,lacer~t areas during 1975, ]98o and 1987_ The surveys performed during 19;5 were ~n the Loamy Foothill and Pinyon Juniper Woodland Commun~- ties. range sites P.-1. R-3. CK1 and R-4W. The Loamy Foothill Community ~s now referred to as the Sertu desert Sandy].oam communi- ty. The 1986 survey was an extensive study of the Semidesert Sandyloarn Community 1n Sect.ion 10 which is over two miles from the permit area. The 1987 surveys were jn the Semidesert. 5andv- loam Community, range sites W-1, W-^< and W-3. Range sites R-3 and W-3 are both within the permit boundary. The Sertndesert :;andvloam Community, surveyed in ]'PB; t•~pi- cally includes the following grasses: Needleandthread grass, lndian rice9rass, squ~rreltajl, blue grartia, Sandberg bluegrass, galleta, sixweeks fescue, and cheatgrass. Forbs and shrubs include- Wyoming big sagebrush, fourwin9 saltbush, snakeweed, scarlet globemallow, aster, large flower skeleton plant and plains prickley pear. Occasional isolated Pinyon and Juniper