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<br />Surveyor <br />Erik Olgeirson, PhD <br />September 3, 1997 <br />Project Description and Location: <br />The project site is located off Colorado Boulevard and the South Platte River in <br />unincorporated Adams County, Colorado hetween Commerce City and Thornton: <br />Sections 4, 5, S 8~ 9, Township 2 South, Range 67 West, Latitude 39° 54' 30", <br />Longitude 104° 54'. <br />The subject property occupies approximately 414 acres that is currently owned <br />by Cooley's Gravel. Sections of the parcels are currently under lease to local <br />cattle ranchers who use the property far grazing. Surrounding properties are <br />owned privately. The proposed development is a sand/gravel mine. <br />Ecological Condition/ Management <br />The sites were previously used as cattle horse pastures. The South Platte River <br />is the border to the east and west property lines. Irrigation ditches and cattle <br />stock ponds are currently in use by the leasees. Sails along the riverbank are <br />moist and dark brown in color (10YR 2/3). Soils have a characteristic sulfuric <br />odor and are sandy clays in mesic areas. <br />Geomorphology features include micro terraces, hillslopes ranging from 0- <br />30%grodes, and steep-banked drop-offs. <br />Ecological and Site Features <br />The property is dominated by xeric pasture fields. Herbaceous wetlands exist <br />along the bank of the South Platte River and associated stock ponds and <br />irrigation ditches. The wetlands along the South Platte occur approximately 5-10' <br />from the bank of the river with occasional extensions and pockets of wet areas <br />supporting hydric vegetation. Wetlands occur along the western boundary of the <br />most northern parcel and the eastern boundary of the more southern parcel <br />(Figure 1). Wetland vegetation is dominated by obligate and facultative wet <br />species (Table 1). Upland grasses and fortis occur along margins of saturated <br />areas. Vegetation is overgrown and extremely dense. <br />Spiranthes diluvialis was not located on the site. Sandy streamsides, pockets of <br />cattail marsh and dense stands of willow or tall hydric grasses are not suitable <br />habitat for the species. Spiranthes diluvialis is often associated with low <br />elevation wet or mesic riparian communities where facultative and obligate <br />wetland species dominate. Along the Front Range, the orchid is commonly <br />