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• of a habitat. Carpenter et al. (1979), in a study near Kremmling, Colorado, found mule <br />deer selected a large amount of grasses end forbs during the winter months of January and <br />February when snow cover was minimal. Over 50 percent of their diets consisted of grasses <br />and forbs in a 30-day grazing trial. In a study by lli llms et al. (1979) on big sagebrush <br />range in British Columbia, it was found deer selected 68 percent of their early spring <br />diet as grasses and forbs. <br />While big game end livestock will benefit from the increase in herbaceous cover, various <br />bird species end small mammals will also benefit from the addition of this habitat <br />component. Food and nesting cover will be increased for small mammals and some birds. <br />Large statured herbaceous species such as basin wildrye have been included in the seed mix <br />to enhance this cover component. Basin uildrye will also provide winter grazing and cover <br />when snowpack increases (Majerus 7992). Raptors and other predators will have increased <br />potential for hunting success because of the more open areas and increase in the <br />population of small mammals. <br />The replacement of woody vegetation types with reclaimed areas dominated by herbaceous <br />• species will diversify regional habitat. The potential benefits of the reclaimed area <br />forage resources to big game have been described above. Big game use in similar areas <br />increases during various times of the year. Hungerford (1979) reported deer establish new <br />home ranges in newly opened areas because of increases in herbaceous forages. A small <br />resident elk herd may have established itself in the vicinity of the nearby Seneca li <br />Mine. Similar year round elk use is reported a[ the Colorado Yampa Coal Company (Johnson <br />1990). <br />The loss of cover formerly provided by the woody component will be offset by grading and <br />creating topographic diversity within the general postmine landscape. This has been <br />successful in past reclamation at surface mines. The occurrence of big game in the <br />interior reclaimed areas at all times of the day is relatively common. The shrub planting <br />program will be oriented towards enhancement of islands where shrub cover will develop in <br />the larger open blocks. These plantings will encourage localized areas of regeneration <br />versus a stem for stem restoration of the woody plants on every acre. The combination of <br />grading to create topographic diversity end concentrated shrub plantings will aid in <br />mitigating the loss of shrub cover in the affected areas of the mine. <br />• <br />Reclaimed areas will be irregularly shaped and relatively small in relation to regional <br />5 <br />