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• In the area of Pit No. 1, Section 11, 1.8 acres of big <br />sagebrush and 6.2 acres of alkali sagebrush has been disturbed. <br />In the area of Pit No. 2 it is anticipated that over the total <br />pit life 40.6 acres of big sagebrush and 19.0 acres of alkali <br />sagebrush will be disturbed. <br />Big Sagebrush Vegetation Type <br />General Description. .In the permit area big sagebrush occurs <br />on a variety of sites. It occurs on east and south facing slopes, <br />on flat uplands with moderately deep soils and along drainages. <br />Big sagebrush averages 2-4 feet high and attains a cover of <br />greater than 15 percent on these sites. In shallow soils on <br />steep upland types and along ridges, big sagebrush is generally <br />less than 2 feet tall and has a cover of less than 15 percent. <br />Within the big sagebrush community, letterman needlegrass, <br />• western wheatgrass, prairie junegrass, hoods phlox and douglas <br />rabbitbrush are the primary understory species. Other species <br />of lessor dominance include sandberg bluegrass, squirreltail, <br />green needlegrass, Idaho fescue, galleta, bluebunch wheatgrass, <br />thickspike wheatgrass, slender wheatgrass, needleandthread, fringed <br />sage and rubber rabbitbrush. <br />Cover. A summary of vegetative cover for the permit area and <br />reference area for the 1979 and 1980 growing seasons is presented <br />in Table 1F. For the 1979 growing season permit grasses comprised <br />25.58 of the total cover, grasslike 1.5~, perennial forbs 4.5~, <br />half-shrubs 9.58, shrubs 18.0$, litter 14.5 and bareground 28.58. <br />For the 1980 growing season grasses comprised 27.28 of the total <br />cover, perennial forbs 3.5$, half-shrubs 10~, shrubs 17.3, litter <br />18.0, barground 22~ and rock 2$. Total vegetative cover for 1979 <br />and 1980 were 59$ and 588 respectively. <br />• <br />-5- <br />