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7200 feet (range site A) the condition rating was poor. On the south and west <br />aspects (range site B) a fair condition was noted. <br />The big sagebrush-grass vegetation type has a total of 1,296 animal unit months <br />(AU M) available for grazing over 2,964 acres. This value is one-half of the <br />total CAG available and represents the current practice in use by the Bureau of <br />Land Management (BLM) of "take half-leave half" (Table 2.3-23). <br />From this data, based on an intensive six month, season long grazing program, <br />928 sheep could be grazed in the big sagebrush-grass association without overuse <br />(4.3 ewes, each with one lamb, will consume 804 pounds of forage per month (Cook, <br />1970)}. Generally, this area will receive only spring and fall grazing. <br />With minor exceptions, most of the big sagebrush-grass type available for grazing <br />lies to the north and to the west of the proposed permit area. As a result, this <br />type will only be moderately impacted from mining and reclamation operations fcom <br />1980 on. The biggest impact will be to the mountain shrub type. Mining and <br />• reclamation operations will principally occur in the mountain shrub type begin- <br />ning in 1980. The greatest temporary losses to grazing by domestic livestock <br />will be within this type. <br />Within the total mountain shrub vegetation type, Trapper Mine presently has 3,209 <br />acres available for domestic grazing. Based on 1980 data, a total of 1,469 ani- <br />mal unit months (AUM's) are available for domestic grazing use. The available <br />acreage within the mountain shrub type will increase to include the remainder of <br />the mine plan area in 1983. In 1983, the present purchase agreements for lands <br />owned by Trapper Mine on the eastern one-third of [he mine plan area expired. At <br />that time, Trapper had full control of domestic grazing for all lands within and <br />adjacent to [he mine plan area (see Surface Ownership Map M1. AUM's are based on <br />one-half of the total CAG available as estimated from 1980 data (Table 2.3-23). <br />In the mountain shrub type, the range site with the most area available Eor do- <br />mestic grazing is range site A. This range site has a total of 2,255 acres under <br />• <br />2-120 <br />~Ed~SE® ~p 13 '87 <br />