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northwest, and southeast portions of the area. Bottomland habitat occurs along major creeks-- <br />Grassy Creek, Sage Creek, Dry Creek--and their larger tributary draws. <br />On the Seneca permit area, elevations range from 6750 to over 8,100 feet above sea <br />level. The terrain steadily slopes upward from west to east across the permit area; steep slopes <br />occur along two drainages in the north-central part of the permit and in the southeast corner. <br />Mining activity is largely confined to the middle portion of the permit area. <br />Mountain brush is the predominant native habitat on the permit area. Grassland habitat <br />occurs in areas that have been reclaimed after mining. Sagebrush habitat occurs primarily in <br />the southwest part of the permit area. A few aspen stands occur on the area, but are limited to <br />south- and east-facing draws at upper elevations. Bottomland is limited to narrow bands along <br />larger drainages. <br />• METHODS <br />Big game--elk (Cervus elaphus), mule deer (Odocoi[eus hemionus), and pronghorn <br />(Antilocapra americans)--were counted during an aerial survey completed on 28 December 1994. <br />The 84.5-miz survey area was covered by flying 23 north-south transects spaced at half-mile <br />intervals. The survey was begun on the eastern-most transect and progressed to the west. We <br />started the survey at 13:23h and completed it at 15:56h. A Cessna 206 was used for the survey. <br />Flight speed and altitude were 70 to 80 miles per hour and approximately 300 feet, respectively. <br />The flight crew included a pilot and two biologists. One biologist was responsible for <br />spotting and counting herds. Along each transect, the observer counted all big game animals <br />within a 1/2-mile strip on the west side of the flight path. The second biologist also looked for <br />• animals, but his primary tasks were to navigate and record all observations. Locations were <br />1993 Seneca Kline a~g Game Aerial Survey Page 2 <br />