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Meadow <br />• The meado+v vegetation type occurs within the proposed penni[ area along many of the narrow ephemeral drainage <br />bottoms. The community is very limited in extent, occupying only 361 acres or 2.8 percent of the proposed permit <br />area. i[ is not unlike the sagebrush/meadow vegetation type's understory except that it is an early successional <br />comnnmiq• and productivity is usually lower due to poorer quality non-alluvial soils. The native climax <br />vegetation type would normally be a sagebrush community, however, it appears that the sagebrush overstory was <br />removed by plowing. During the more prevalent climatic conditions, these drainage bottoms are too wet to be <br />tillable. As a result, a combination of meadow grasses, sedges, and annual crop plants form an early successional <br />meadow community. <br />Very small areas of the meadow vegetation type can be found near stock-ponds and within very narrow and steep- <br />sided drninages which could not be cultivated for topographic reasons. <br />Because no surface facilities or other mining related disturbance will occur within the meadow vegetation type, <br />and the acreage of the community is so small, no sampling of the meadow vegetation type occurred and no <br />reference area is necessary. <br />As identited on Table 24, Vegetation-Soil Correlation, and Table 38, Characteristics of Soils Underlying the <br />Meado+a Vegetation Type, three soils are found below the community. These soils are all deep and usually poorly <br />drained. Parent material ranges from mixed alluvium to shale, while [he permeability is moderately slow [o very <br />slow. The available water capacity can be moderate, but is usually high, and the land capability subclasses are Vw <br />and Vle (see land use discussion under Rule 2.04.3 for further information regarding land capability subclasses). <br />• Imnac[s to Sensitive Species <br />With regard to Rule 4.05.6(2)(a)(iii), Rare and Endangered Plants, Twentymile Park and adjacent areas have been <br />studied for threatened, endangered, and sensitive plant species. In the BLM's Green River-Hams Fork Round II <br />Draft EIS (n.d.) no threatened, endangered, or rare plants were identified in the area encompassing the proposed <br />permit area. In addition, plan[ composition surveys performed in 1984 as part of this report within the proposed <br />permit area revealed no plants listed as threatened or endangered by the US Forest Service or US Fish and Wildlife <br />Service. These composition surveys included anomalous habitats as well as the dominant habitats present. <br />SOUTHWEST MINING DISTRICT <br />The information provided above can be applied to the southwest mining district. Map 18, Vegetation Map, has <br />been updated [o show the vegetation types over the area [o be undermined. I[ should be noted that the map update <br />required only minor modification of the existing map, as the prior vegetation studies almost completely covered <br />[his area. Basically, the boundaries of the cropland and rangeland areas were expanded and updated [o take into <br />account current usage. <br />EASTERN MINING DISTRICT <br />Map 18, Vegetation Map, was modified to show the vegetation types that overlie the mine area and those to be <br />disturbed by [he construction of the Dewatering facility. Also, Map 18A, Vegetation Map, was created to show the <br />vegetation types within portions of the Eastern Mining District not covered by Map 18. This- map also shows the <br />bleeder fan site and the vegetation types occurring in and adjacent to the site. <br />In reference to these sites, baseline vegetation data will be obtained prior to disturbing these sites and this data will <br />be used in developing the revegetation success criteria for these sites. The dewaterim, borehole site is of limited <br />areal extent in a law sage community. The ponds associated o~ith the de++atering system is located in pastureland <br />MR 97-I ~4 2.04-60 Revised 10/02/97 <br />