Laserfiche WebLink
~` <br />~, <br />(short grass prairie and sagebrush rangeland) and highly disturbed or modified sites. <br />Based on the above requirements, and a site visit, Savage and Savage staff determined <br />that the proposed development project area could not be disqualified from the <br />requirements for a pedestrian survey. On July 21 and 24, 2000 Savage and Savage staff <br />conducted a pedestrian survey of the proposed development project in order to determine <br />the presence of the orchid. <br />SITE CHARACTERISTICS <br />xy~o~ogy <br />There are six distinctive types of hydrologic features on the Croissant and Green <br />properties. The first feature is the Big Thompson River, a perennial drainage that flows <br />across the northeast corner of the Croissant property. The second type of hydrologic <br />feature includes two surface water drainages that have been formed along the south edge <br />of the Croissant property and two drainages that have been formed along the southeast <br />edge of the Green property from irrigation tailwater. Irrigation tailwater originates from <br />irrigated farmland on the secondary terrace above the drainages. Within the north half of <br />both properties is the third type of hydrologic feature; relict oxbows (meanders) or <br />historic channels of the Big Thompson River. The hydrology of some of the relict <br />oxbows has been recently shared by man-made drainage ditches that have been <br />excavated through the oxbows. The ambient hydrology of these features is affected by <br />the irrigation tailwater drainages above. Man-made irrigation and drainage ditches <br />comprise the fourth type of hydrologic feature. One large drainage ditch traverses the <br />Green and Croissant properties from west to east, ultimately draining into a relict oxbow. <br />Several small irrigation ditches are present within the properties. Some were found to' <br />contain water, while others appeared abandoned. The fifth hydrologic feature includes <br />seeps along the slope that separates the primary and secondary terraces. Seeps occur at <br />the toe of the slope as well as high in the slope face. The source water of the seeps was <br />not determined durirrg our investigation. The final hydrologic feature includes four farm <br />ponds located along the slope that separates the primary and secondary alluvial terraces. <br />Water for the ponds appears to be originating from pipes or ditches from the secondary <br />teaace and from groundwater sources. <br />Vegetation <br />Natural vegetation communities within the properties can be broadly categorized as <br />sedgelrush swales, wet meadow, and mixed grassland. The communities form a mosaic <br />within the property and intergrade together depending on microtopography, soils, and the <br />ambient hydrologic regime. Each community is briefly described below. <br />SedgeJrush Swale vegetation communities are found within both properties surveyed. <br />SedgeJnuh Swale vegetation communities are found in depressions formed by historic <br />erratic alluvial deposition and meandering of the Big Thompson River on both properties <br />and within surface water drainages formed by irrigation tailwater. On both properties <br />sedgeJrush swales are also located on the slope between the primary alluvial terrace and <br />z <br />