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<br />_~,_ <br />~. <br />• ` <br />Vegetation Type $1 -Grassland. The grassland vegetation types within <br />the affected area occupy 24.69 acres or 23.38 of the total pettnit <br />area. Grassland is the most predominant vegetation type on lands not <br />currently disturbed or subjected m agricultural production. However, <br />this type is an atandoned hay pasture as evidenced by the many vegetation <br />species indicative of its Bast agricultural use and present disturbed <br />mature. Interviews with local ranchers and Nucla Mine personnel indicate <br />that much of the area noa in grassland on the Nucla pernut was abandoned <br />in 1978. Prior m abandonrrent, these areas were planted alfalfa fields. <br />Weedy, undesirable species such as field lairdweed, tuc]chorn plantain, <br />curlycup giue..eed and oovmon Ea~ssianthistle (Salsola kali) are oortnon in <br />~- this type <br />As discussed under "Data Oollection" in the Methods section above: total <br />Dover (including all wnponents of the Dover estimate; vegetation, litter- <br />rock, bare ground) seldom sumo m 1008 due tv the_ocul.ar estimate tech- <br />nique ec~loyed. In the case of the grassland affected area studied, total <br />cover was estimated at 85.98. Of this total, vegetation basal Dover £or <br />the grassland type was estimated at 9.78, while litter-mck aId bare groutrl~ <br />cmprised 71.28 and 5.08 of the total cover, respectively. Weedy species <br />accrnmt for 37.18 of the total vegetation basal Dover on the grassland <br />site. Fregu~Y values for these species ranged from 48 to 328. Alfalfa <br />medic Nterlicago native), binve (Bmmus sp.) and wheatgrass (Pgropyron sp.) <br />are representative of the desirable, Wore palatable, species on the site. <br />In all, forbs acootmt for 61.88 of the total vegetation Dover and grasses <br />aooo~nt for 37.18 of the total vegetation Dover. Oven 908 of the gmurd <br />cover rot attributed m vegetation is oa~rised of litter-rock. <br />Production on the grassland-affected area was 815.1 lbs/acre. ouch of <br />the total production was attributed to unidentifiable ~ran~ial grasses <br />(178) and annual forbs (32.68). Production sac~les must be taken after <br />the growing season has terminated, thus mviy of the species enernmtered <br />are not in a phenological state at this time that permits positive identi- <br />' fication. Wyoming DF7Q, recognizing this fact, permits a life form identi- <br />fication and grrn,E+i rwJ of veg~tati~K+ sartples taken for pm~iuction estimates <br />(tiyanirg DDQ, Guideline N2, March, 1979). <br />,. <br />I• <br />(Revised March 2006) Attachment 2.05.6(2)-1-34 <br />