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Common vegetation expected and observed (bold type) in February 2009 in Gunnison <br />River Gravel Pits and vicinity (MRCS 2009).. <br />Common Name Scientific Name Growth Habit <br />.Salt cedar spp. S/T <br />Shadscale Atri le_r con erti olia S <br />Skunkbush sumac Rhus trilobata S <br />Slender wheat grass A ro ron auci orum G <br />Snakeweed Gutierreda s pp. S <br />Thicks ike wheat grass El mus Ianceolatus G <br />Utah Juniper Sabina (Juni erns) osteos erina T <br />Western wheat grass Pasco rttm smithii G <br />Willow Salix spp. S <br />Winterfat Krascheneninikovia Janata S <br />Wyoming sagebrush Artemisia tridentata 1v yomin ensis S <br />Key to Growth Habit: F = forb, G = grass, S = shrub, T = tree <br />Colorado Natural Heritage Program (1998), NRCS (2009a) <br />Forbs are not expected to be present in winter at the pit sites and the only forb observed was the <br />weedy species Kochia. Occasionally remnants remain in winter sufficient to identify some <br />common grasses and forbs. During field inspections of February 2009, no remnants or senescent <br />plant parts sufficient to make identification possible remained with the exception of kochia and <br />annual wheatgrass. This appeared to be due in part to heavy grazing by cattle, underway in <br />February and partly due to harshness of the site. <br />DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS <br />Pit One <br />This pit site is used as a winter livestock feeding area. Manure and plant litter covered the area <br />of the pit to a depth of several inches. Sagers series soils found here are derived from marine <br />shale. These soils are very deep, well drained, and moderately to slowly permeable. Both <br />Skumpah and Sagers are silt loam texture. The resultant natural vegetation community is <br />dominated by plants adapted to moderately fine, highly alkaline soil as shown in Table 2. <br />(Ittn1-1ison River (it•m l 1 it 3 Soil and Vc'-'ctat1'011