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brown loam about 5 inches thick. The underlying material to a depth of 16 inches is pinkish white <br />loam. Hard sandstone is at a depth of 16 inches. <br />Permeability of Pinon soil is moderate and the available water holding capacity is very low. <br />Effective rooting depth is 10 to 20 inches, runoff is moderate and hazard of water erosion is high. <br />Between 9 to 14 inches of suitable topsoil are available for salvage from Pinon soil areas. <br />Paradox fine sandy loam is located on alluvial fans and narrow alluvial valley floors. This deep <br />well drained soil is formed in alluvium derived dominantly from sandstone. Typically, the surface <br />layer is red fine sandy loam 5 inches thick. The upper 14 inches of the underlying material are red <br />fine sandy loam. The lower part to a depth of 60 inches is red loam. <br />Vegetation, Wildlife and Land Use <br />Four vegetation communities are presently found in the proposed permit area: Upland sagebrush, <br />Juniper- Pinon woodland, grassland and disturbed grassland. The Native Grassland reference areas <br />will apply to all of the Native Grassland community, mapped in 1991 and 1992. The Sagebrush <br />Rangeland community mapped in 1991 (Mining Area Nos. 1 and 2) was matched to SREF A. <br />Therefore, this reference area alone will be used to determine revegetation success for all disturbed <br />Sagebrush Rangeland areas mapped in 1991 and disturbed by Mining Area Nos. 1 or 2. Sagebrush <br />Rangeland community areas mapped as a part of the 1992 study and disturbed by Mining Area No. <br />3 will be assessed for revegetation success using SREF A and SREF B, as described in the baseline <br />report. Finally, the Juniper- Pinon woodland community will be assessed for revegetation success <br />using the Sagebrush Rangeland reference area scheme. The 1991 areas (Mining Areas Nos. 1 and <br />2) can be matched to SREF A. The 1992 areas (Mining Area No. 3) will be matched to the SREF <br />A/SREF B combination. Because the reclaimed areas may be composed of portions of all three <br />communities, each area will be assessed for success using the weighted averages method of <br />comparison outlined in Rule 4.15.7(4)(b). A revegetation success standard will be used for woody <br />plant density and species diversity. <br />The upland sagebrush community is dominated by Big sagebrush (Artemesia tridentata), <br />Needle-and-thread grass (Stipa comata) and Blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis). Other grasses <br />include sand dropseed (Sporobolus cryptandrus), Squirrel-tail (Elymus elymoides), Indian ricegrass <br />(Oryzopsis hymenoides) and Galleta (Hilaria jamesii). <br />The grassland community consists basically of the same grass species found in the upland <br />sagebrush community. <br />The juniper- pinon community is dominated by Utah juniper (Sabina osteosperma), Big sagebrush, <br />Pinon pine (Pinus edulus), and the same grasses mentioned above. <br />The present land uses of the area are for cattle grazing and wildlife habitat. The proposed mine area <br />and surrounding area is used by a large variety of wildlife including coyotes, fox, mule deer, elk (in <br />the winter) and numerous bird species. <br />7