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Baseline Technical <br />Report <br />ARCADIS <br />Report for Soils and <br />Biological Resources, <br />Cresson Mine Life Extension <br />Project Area <br />(Populus angustifolia), boxelder (Acer negundo), and Utah juniper (Juniperus <br />osteosperma). <br />These are communities tolerant of periodic flooding and high water tables. Snowmelt <br />moisture in this system may create shallow water tables or seeps for a portion of the <br />growing season. Stands in Colorado typically occur at elevations between 6,000 and <br />10,830 feet amsl and are confined to specific riparian environments occurring on <br />floodplains or terraces of rivers and streams, in V-shaped, narrow valleys and <br />canyons (where there is cold-air drainage). Less frequently, occurrences are found in <br />moderately wide valley bottoms on large floodplains along broad, meandering rivers, <br />and on pond or lake margins. <br />4.1.8 Wet Meadow <br />This system often occurs as a mosaic of several plant associations, often dominated <br />is by sedges such as Carex illota, Carex microptera, Carex nigricans, Carex <br />scopulorum, Carex utriculata, Carex vernacular, tufted hairgrass (Deschampsia <br />caespitosa); spikerush species (Eleocharis spp.); and rush species (Juncus spp.). <br />Common forb species include wild iris (iris missouriensis), cinquefoil (Potentilla <br />ovina), and clover species (Trifolium spp.). Within the elevational gradient covered by <br />this system, some communities are typically confined to the alpine, while others are <br />usually found only at montane elevations. <br />Occurrences range in elevation from montane to alpine (in Colorado from 7,000 to <br />11,800 feet), and are found on wetter sites with very low-velocity surface and <br />subsurface flows. Wet meadows are tightly associated with snowmelt and typically <br />not subjected to high disturbance events such as flooding. Moisture for these <br />communities comes from groundwater, stream discharge, overland flow, overbank <br />flow, and on-site precipitation. Salinity and alkalinity are generally low due to the <br />frequent flushing of moisture through the meadow. <br />Soils typically possess a high proportion of organic matter, but this may vary <br />considerably depending on the frequency and magnitude of alluvial deposition. <br />Organic composition of the soil may include a thin layer near the soil surface or <br />accumulations of highly sapric material of up to 4 feet thick. Soils may exhibit gleying <br />and/or mottling throughout the profile. <br />• <br />CCV Final Technical Report (3-28-08).doc 12