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EFFECTIVE ENVIRONMENT The Project Area is located in west central Colorado at the western boundary of Gunnison County and the eastern boundary of Delta County. The North Fork of the Gunnison River is located to the south. The exploration drill holes aze located topographically above the Sanborn Creek Mine facilities and generally on the upper erosional surface of the Fire Mountain azea. The exploration drill holes aze located within the upper reaches of the Hubbard and Beaz Creek drainages that flow into the North Fork of the Gunnison River neaz Somerset. The exploration drill hole locations range in elevation from 7280 to 8260 feet and aze located on Oxbow Mining Company, Hotchkiss Ranch, and BLM land holdings. The azea is primarily used for livestock grazing and is otherwise uncultivated. • Oakbrush/mountain shrub is the domiriantvegetation community at the exploration drill hole sites, buffers, and along the road segment. This community is dominated by Gambel's oak (Quercus gambelii) with an open to densely closed canopy. Associated-sub-dominant overstory species include servicebeny (Amelanchier alnifolia) and chokecherry (Prunus virginiana). Generally there is awell-developed shrub understory that is dominated by mountain snowbeny (Symphoricarpos rotundifolius) with chokecherry and servicebeny seedlings and occasional big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata). In the exploration drill sites investigated, there was generally a we]]-developed herbaceous layer below. and within the shrub and overstory layers. The herbaceous layer contained numerous representatives of both graminoid and forbs species, including; bluegrasses (Poo sp. ), bromes (Bromus sp. ), elk sedge (Carex geyeri), arrowleaf • balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata), bluebells (Mertensia sp.), delphinium (Delphinium sp.), lupine (Lupinus argenteus), penstemons (Penstemon alpinus and P. strictus), American vetch (Nitta americana), violets (Viola sp.), and yarrow (Achillea lanulosa). Dominant soil types within the area include the Beenom-Absazokee looms, Delson stony looms, Fughes loam, and Torriorthent-Rock complex. These soils are all formed on uplands, mountain sideslopes, and landslide azeas. Annual precipitation is approximately 18 inches. Beenom- Absazokee soils aze shallow to moderately deep soils overlying bedrock at 20-40 inches. Typically, these soils have shallow loam surface layers overlying clay at less than one-foot depth. Delson soils are deep, welt-drained soils with a surface loam layer underlain by reddish brown clay to three feet depth. Fughes soils are deep, well-drained soils on formed on landslide deposits. Their surface layer is a shallow (five inches) very dazk grayish brown stony loam, and the subsurface layer is dark grayish brown clay loam to sixty inches. Torriorthent-Rock complex soils are found on very steep locations and are often associated with rock outcrops. These soils aze very variable and range from ten to sixty inches deep. The surface is generally a stony loam with many weathered rock fragments overlying broken rock. ENVIRONMENTAL CONSTRAINTS A majority of the Project Area is heavily forested (95%) and located in very steep terrain (40- 80% grade). Although a 100% survey of the entire area would result in the investigation of