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Orchard Valley Mine benches and the storage and loadout areas occurred from October 1975 to mid-1976, prior to the enactment of the Colorado Mined land Reclamation Act of 1976 and its topsoil salvaging requirements. Due to the steep slopes in these areas, no topsoil was salvaged. Since enactment of the 1976 law, topsoil has been salvaged from disturbed areas. Soils within those portions of the permit area which have been or will be disturbed by surface operations and facilities are generally deep, encouraging surface runoff. As a result, the water erosion hazard is often high. Generally, available water capacities are high, reflecting the potential of these soils to store water for plant use. Topsoil layers at the existing facilities are shallow, ranging from about two (2) inches to eight (8) inches; surface textures are generally loams or clay loams with subsoils ranging from clay loams to clays. However, at the Roatcap Creek facilities soils are much deeper, ranging from two (2) feet to four (4) feet in many places. Basaltic cobbles and stones are common throughout the profile of most soils. The general area is somewhat susceptible to landslides, especially in the steeper topography of the mine bench area and, as such, the continual sloughing of colluvial material in this area impairs horizon development. Vegetation Rules 2.04.10. 2.05.4(2)(e). 4.15 Information pertaining to vegetation baseline may be found on pages 70 to 75, Part 2.04 of Volume 1 and in the Vegetation Appendix of Volume 9A. Information pertaining to the revegetation plan and vegetation success criteria may be found on pages 67 to 76, Part 2.05 of Volume i and in the Vegetation Appendix of Volume 9A. Disturbance at the Orchard Valley Mine began in late 1975 and continues to date. Initial disturbance occurred prior to any requirements for preparation of vegetation inventories; therefore, portions of this mine site were not surveyed. However, as new areas are proposed to be disturbed, they are first inventoried. Nine vegetation types have been inventoried in :.the mine permit area, including agriculture, aspen, mixed shrub, mountain meadow, oakbrush, pinon-juniper, sagebrush, sparse herbaceous understory, and riparian. The majority of the disturbed areas at Orchard Valley Mine are located in oakbrush communities dominated by Gambel oak ( uercus gambelii) and serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia> and in pinon-juniper communities where Utah juniper (Juniperus osteosperma) dominates over pinon pine (Pinus edulis). Other communities disturbed to a lesser degree include agriculture (orchards), mixed shrub, and riparian. No threatened or endangered plant species have been identified on the permit area. Fish and Wildlife - Rules 2.04.11, 2.05.6(2), 4.18 The fish and wildlife resources sections of the application can be found on pages 56 to 87, Section 2.04 of Volume 1 and in the Wildlife Appendix, _17_