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Sage Creek Mine February 2009 <br />• The wildlife study area expands beyond the permit area and encompasses approximately 18.9 <br />square miles, including a proposed transportation corridor in the southern extreme of the survey <br />area that extends approximately 4.2 miles south to the existing Twentymile Coal Company, Foidel <br />Creek Mine. <br />Topography within the study area contains elevations ranging from 6,600 to over 7,700 feet above <br />sea level. Terrain varies from rolling hills with agricultural fields and rangeland in the northwestern, <br />central, and extreme southern extents of the study area to high ridges and steep slopes within the <br />eastern and southwestern portions. Rock outcrops and long, eroded cliff walls are present along <br />the ridgelines and steeper draws in the east, southeast, and southwest. <br />Montane shrubland (mountain brush) was the predominant native habitat among the higher <br />elevations of the survey area. Predominant vegetation consisted of Gambel oak (Quercus <br />gambelii) and chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) with lesser amounts of mountain mahogany <br />(Cercocarpus montanus) and serviceberry (Amelanchier sp.). Aspen (Populus tremuloides) stands <br />were scattered throughout the area, but mainly occurred along the upper reaches of drainages and <br />• north- facing slopes in the south. Isolated stands of sub - alpine fir (Abies bifolia) and Douglas fir <br />(Pseudotsuga menziesh) were present at the highest elevations, but restricted to steep north facing <br />slopes. <br />The lower elevations typically hosted mixed grassland (Conservation Reserve Program [CRP] <br />fields or improved pasture) and sagebrush - grassland communities. Reclaimed grasslands <br />associated with the Seneca II Mine were abundant throughout many of the higher slopes in the <br />east, while sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) habitats and agricultural fields occurred primarily in the <br />south - central or northwest and central extents of the study area, respectively. Bottomland (mesic <br />drainage /riparian) habitats occurred along the primary drainages (Grassy Creek, Scotchman's <br />Gulch, and Fish Creek) and some of the larger tributaries. Lone cottonwoods (Populus spp.) and <br />boxelders (Acer negundo) were scattered along some of those drainages, and a small cluster of <br />approximately of 10 to 12 cottonwoods were present as a windbreak in SE NW Section 30 <br />T5N:R86W. <br />The most significant drainage in the area is Grassy Creek, which enters at the southwestern <br />margin and flows north beyond the north - central portion of the study area to the Yampa River. <br />• Numerous unnamed drainages associated with the steep draws in the east, as well as several of <br />2 <br />