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UPDATED NATURAL RESOURCES INVENTORY FOR <br />SOUTH OF DIVIDE STUDY AREA <br />3.0 STUDY METHODS <br />A combination of fieldwork, office research, and aerial photograph interpretation was used for <br />this investigation. Office research included review of previous inventory reports by WWE <br />completed in 1997, associated correspondence, and several communications with USFS <br />personnel. A complete set of color, stereo-pair aerial photographs taken in July 2004 was <br />analyzed. High-quafity, digital copies of these photographs were enlarged to a scale of 1 inch = <br />100 feet for use in the fieldwork. <br />Fieldwork was conducted in September and October 2004, and included the following: <br />• Observations of previously identified areas to determine their present condition. <br />• Photographic documentation and descriptions of selected areas that were previously <br />identified. <br />M • Search for additional stock ponds, seeps, springs, wetlands, and riparian .areas, and/or <br />deletions from the previous inventory. <br />• Remapping of features using a Trimble GeoXT global positioning system (GPS) that has a <br />horizontal accuracy of <l meter. <br />Boundaries of previously identified natural resources were refined, as needed, based on field <br />observations, aerial photograph analysis, and using the GPS. Boundaries of new areas were <br />mapped with the GPS. The July 2004 aerial photograph was used as a base map for this report. <br />The same field procedures and criteria used in the 1996-1997 work were used in this update. <br />3.1 Identification of Wetlands <br />Wetlands were identified and delineated based on the methods and criteria in the Manual. <br />Because of the relatively large size of the study area, existing vegetation was emphasized to <br />identify wetlands. <br /> <br />831-032.690 Wright Water Engineers, Inc. Page 5 <br />March 2006 <br />