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Soil Types <br />Soils in the area include the Cushman, Forelle, Pinelli, Potts, Satanka and Worfka series, which <br />are developed on ridge tops, ridge sideslopes, and in valley fans. Underdeveloped soils such as <br />Colorado, Haverson alkali phase, Kinnear, Moyerson, Redcreek, Rentsac, and Turley variant <br />occur on low floodplains, extreme ridge tops, and upper ridge sideslopes. <br />Soil Characteristics and Distribution <br />Overall, the soils found in the proposed permit area are classified as shallow, light colored loamy <br />to rocky soils of the deserts, primarily members of the Haplorthent Great Group. Surface soils <br />are light colored, indicating lack of organic matter. Their textures range from stoney or gravelly <br />sandy loams to clay loams, depending on the composition of the primary parent material. <br />Subsoils range from sandy loam to clay. It is assumed that these soils can be placed into <br />hydrologic soils group B or C, which indicates that the infiltration rate is generally moderate to <br />slow. <br />Control of Vegetation Distribution by Climate and Soils <br />At the highest elevations, soils have developed in residuum or local alluvium from sandstone <br />with juniper woodland or juniper-sagebrush vegetation types. Sagebrush is more abundant and <br />more vigorous on deeper, loamier soils in the uplands. Juniper dominates on skeletal, shallow, <br />and generally sandier soils. At lower elevations, soils have developed primarily from alluvium <br />with small areas of Aeolian deposits on ridges. These soils are mostly deep with grasses, <br />sagebrush-grass, or sagebrush-grasswood vegetation types. <br />Control of Vegetation Distribution by Land Uses <br />Within the permit area, natural vegetative communities have been modified to varying degrees by <br />humans and domestic animals. Pre-mine overgrazing of the current permit area has occurred. <br />This overuse adversely affected much of the natural vegetation throughout the permit area. Past <br />grazing practices have contributed to the extent of the cheatgrass-annual forb vegetation. The <br />success of reclamation efforts will be dependent on the control of grazing and erosion. <br />Vegetation Distribution in Permit Area <br />Eight plant communities have been identified in the permit area to be affected by surface <br />operations and facilities. Vegetation communities consist of juniper woodland, juniper, <br />woodland-big sagebrush, big sagebrush, big sagebrush-wheatgrass, western wheatgrass, <br />Colorado wildrye, cheatgrass-annual forb, and big sagebrush-greasewood. <br />Wildlife <br />Wildlife species identified within the permit area include mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), <br />pronghorn antelope (Antilocapra Americana), and sage grouse (Centrocercus urphasianus). <br />Numerous raptor species have been identified in the area. Species include the ferruginous hawk <br />Deserado Mine 9 September 19, 2008