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• F~nandcd tiur~c~ Arcs \II ~~ildlifr ohser~auons from the aerial survey arc listed in Appendix I. Big game ~b.~ n;uinns arc also illustrated on Exhibit I. :\ total of 66i elk (7.4 %mi') in 1 1? herds were ,rrn During the survey. Six hrrds of mule doer (i l animals) were also observed. Additional animals recorded included tivo sharp-tailed grouse and three an•otrs I ('uncr !nn•un.~ 1. [ilk herds ranged in size from I to ±2 animals, and averaged ~.9. F?Ik were wideh distributed throughout the area. but were notably absent tom the north-central portion. fak were sparse in the southwest, southe:ut, and extreme northwest corners of the area (Iixhibit I ). The predominant habitat types in those portions of the sun•cy area, except in the southwest. arc agricultural lields and flat grasslands. Kinety-finer percent (G271 of the elk observed were in mountain brush habitat.:1 Iew elk were also observed in trembling aspen stands (~"_') and sagebrush grasslands (1 G1. 'I'N'C has sun•cyed the expanded area eight times: December 1991, each January from 199 through 1998, and each I~cbruary From 1999 through 2001. 1 he very low density recorded ,luring the Uecemher 199.1 sunny 1~igure I) was probably due to poor ground conditions (patchy • .now awerl and the use of a lixcd-wing aircrali tier the survey. Both of those factors utlccted the +hscn•crs' ability to detect animals and resulted in under rnunting. Considcrtbly more elk were observed a month later..);umary 199>, when the area was surveyed tiom a helicopter. Observed elk density in lanunry 1906 was substantially higher than the Densities recorded during previous surveys. Snow tall from the onset of winter through 1:uurary 1996 was considerahh• greater than in other years. [excessive snow probably pushed more animals out of the higher elevations of the 11'illiams 1~ork .'vlountains and north into the sun•cy area in Junuan~ 1996. Both snowpack and elk density were relatively low during surveys in 1997. 1999.2000. Although snow fall was also minimal during winter 1997-1998. the densiq~ of elk in the area during January 1998 was the serun.l highest ever observed. Despite the abundance of snow on the ground during the 2001 survey, elk density in the expanded area w,v similar to that ubsenvd in the previous year. I lords were w ideh• distributed over the cxpunded area during each o1• the eight surveys. lawe~ er, hrrds were ahvay~ conspicuously absent from the agriculurnd fields and grasslands in the n++rthwrst, north-central. ;m.l .++uthr:ut parts of the area. Brcuuse Ihrn arc no tall grasses or •