Laserfiche WebLink
3 <br />Wildlife <br />Common bird species expected on these communities include <br />Cassin's sparrow, chestnut collared longspur, lark buntin, <br />western meadowlark and ferruginous and 5wainsan's hawks. White- <br />tailed and black-tailed jackrabbit, badger, pronghorn, coyote, <br />swift fox, plains pocket gopher, long-tailed weasel, and several <br />species of mice are mammals that commonly use these plant <br />communities. Reptiles using these communities include western <br />rattlesnake, bullsnake, plains garter snake, western hognose <br />snake, race, western box turtle, and six-lined racerunner. <br />However, other animals and birds that are common to Washington <br />County can be found in the area. <br />vegetation <br />A rangeland inventory of the area noted the following <br />vegetation: blue grama, buffalograss, western wheatgrass, red <br />threeawn, sand dropseed, sun sedge, prickly pear, broom <br />snakeweed, western ragweed, scarlet globemallow. <br />Land IIse <br />Current land use for the land adjacent is rangelands and <br />cultivated cropland. <br />wetlands <br />No designated wetlands noted on the site nor should mining <br />affect any other wetlands outside the area. <br />RECLAMATIOP7 PROCEIIIIRES <br />Prior to excavation, the topsoil shall be removed at a depth <br />of one foot and stockpiled at a nearby site. This topsoil will <br />be used after the mining operation is completed for reclamation <br />purposes. <br />After the area has been mined, all vertical excavated areas <br />and other steep slopes shall be leveled to 2:1 slopes or less and <br />smoothed. The disturbed area should than be reseeded to <br />permanent cover suited to the site. <br />Manure should be applied at a rate of fifteen to twenty tons <br />per acres, spread uniformly over the area and incorporated into <br />the top four inches of the surface layer. The manure must be of <br />a type that has 60~ or more, by weight, heavy chunks 5 inches or - <br />more in diameter. <br />After the manure is worked into the soil grass seed can be <br />drilled. The attached seeding recommendation was developed as a <br />critical area planting. Basically, this means that the pure live <br />seed (pls) seeding rates are doubled from normal grass planting. <br />The species recommended are for sandy soil with most of the grass <br />species being mid to tall grasses. Ideally, the grass should be <br />sown using a grass drill with 7-12 inch spacing that is capable <br />of planting fluffy seeds, has a seedbox agitator, small seedbox <br />for heavier grass seeds (such as switchgrass), double disc furrow <br />openers with depth bands, and packer wheels. Seed should be <br />glanted a depth of i/a to ~a inch. To accurately maintain seeding <br />depth, drilling speed should be 4-4.5 mph. If broadcast is <br />desired, the required seed will be two times the amount of seed <br />~vRes - 3 <br />