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located in habitat improvement areas two and three. As with the <br />other transects, these were trapped for three consecutive nights in <br />the spring of 1976. These transects were conducted to collect data <br />on small mammal resgonse to the removal of cover in the habitat <br />improvement areas. <br />The rodent trapping grids were sampled during the fall of 1975 and <br />Spring of 1976. For the fall of 1975, grid 1 (in sage-grass <br />habitat type) averaged 36.7 rodents/acre, 99% of which were deer <br />mice. Grid 2 (in sage grass-serviceberry habitat type) was in poor <br />condition (shrubs were sprayed in the past to improve grazing) and <br />produced an average of 25 rodents per acre. On grid 2, 96+% of the <br />rodents captured were deer mice. During the spring of 1976, grid <br />1 produced an average of 25.4 rodents/acre, and grid 2 produced an <br />average of 20 rodents/acre. Trapping success for grids 1 and 2 <br />were 30% and 23%, respectively. <br />Total numbers of rodents captured and density per acre were higher <br />in the fall than in the spring. This is a function of post- <br />reproduction versus pre-reproduction numbers. <br />Data from the trapping transects located adjacent to the browse <br />transects was collected only to determine rodent species diversity <br />within the habitat types. Table 9, Rodent Species/Habitat Type, <br />shows the habitat types and the species captured. <br />The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also conducted a nine day small <br />mammal sampling program in 1975. Five traps were used on a 5-acre <br />grid in a mark-recapture effort for six days. After the 6th day, <br />a transect line (20 stations, 3 traps per station) was used to <br />sample the area for three days and nights. Results of the small <br />mammal sampling are shown in Table 10, USFWS - Small Mammal <br />Transects. Additional information concerning the USFWS sampling <br />program is found in Exhibit 11, Wildlife Information. <br />Data collected for 1975 and 1976 show that, (1) rodent densities on <br />the site were high compared to those of other areas of the west; <br />(2) total numbers of rodents were affected by condition of the <br />habitat; (3) habitat type also affected the diversity and numbers <br />of rodents; and d(4) rodents were not drastically affected by cover <br />removal of the habitat improvement areas. <br /> <br />2.04.11-21 <br />