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• Ninety-five percent of the elk seen (741) were in mountain brush habitat. Rough <br />breaks was the only other habitat that held any elk. <br />PRES has surveyed the expanded area six times: in December 1994, and each January <br />from 1995 through 1999. The very low density recorded during the December 1994 survey <br />(Figure 1) was probably due to poor ground conditions (patchy snow cover) and the use of a <br />Fixed-wing aircraft for the survey. Both of those factors affected the observers' ability to <br />detect animals and resulted in under counting. Considerably more elk were seen a month <br />later, January 1995, when the area was surveyed from a helicopter. Observed elk density in <br />January 1996 was substantially greater than the densities recorded during previous surveys. <br />Snowfall from the onset of winter through January 1996 was considerably greater than in other <br />years. Excessive snow probably pushed more animals out of the higher elevations of the <br />Williams Fork Mountains and north into the survey area in January 1996. There was less <br />snow fall in winters 1996-1997 and 1998-1999, and the elk density recorded those winters was <br />very comparable to the density noted in 1995. Although snowfall was also minimal through <br />January 1998, the density of elk in the area at that time was the highest ever observed. <br />• Herds were widely distributed over the survey area during each of the six surveys <br />completed since December 1994. However, herds have always been conspicuously absent <br />from the agricultural fields and grasslands in the northwest, north-central, and southeast parts <br />of the area. Because there are no tall grasses or shrubs in those habitats, the vegetation is <br />typically covered by snow in winter. Consequently, there is very little readily available winter <br />forage for big game in those parcels of the survey area. Few herds have been seen on either <br />the Seneca II or Seneca II-W permit areas during the surveys; more herds have been observed <br />on Yoast. <br />Yoast Mine and One-Mile Perimeter <br />Table 1 lists observations made on the Yoast permit area, one-mile perimeter and haul <br />road corridor (21.4mi2). Only five elk sightings were made within that area; one herd (11 <br />animals) was on the permit area and four herds (23 animals) were in the perimeter. Elk <br />density in the area around Yoast was 1.6 animals/miZ. That was 82% less than the density on <br />r 1 <br />U <br />1999 Yoxst Mine Wildlife Monitoring Page 4 <br />