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3.0 RESULTS <br />3.1 SITE CHARACTERIZATION <br />The study area, consisting of a'/a section (approximately 152 acres by survey) (Whiteman <br />2009), is situated on a gently sloping, broad upland with pinyon pine and juniper vegetation <br />in the southwestern and southeastern corners, grading to sagebrush and mixed grasses with <br />few trees in the northern part. <br />Yellow Creek drains the study area. A small, narrow, unnamed upland drainage valley <br />begins in the middle of the acreage and trends to the northwest, joining another unnamed <br />intermittent tributary in the northwest corner of the study area (see Figure 1). Upon leaving <br />the study area, the tributary joins a dry channel and trends northwest to enter Stake Springs <br />Draw and Yellow Creek, approximately 2 miles north of the study area. Yellow Creek trends <br />north and drains into the White River basin approximately 19 miles north of the study area. <br />A segment of reclaimed pipeline corridor transects the property at the southern edge of the <br />study area. General topography of the study area slopes to the northwest. Elevations range <br />from 6,790 feet in the south part of the study area to 6, 670 feet in the northwest part. <br />• <br />The study area includes a 50-acre vegetation research plot managed by Colorado State <br />University (CSU). The research plot, enclosed by an eight foot wire fence, is utilized for <br />range revegetation studies and has been a part of CSU graduate research since the mid 1970s. <br />The eight foot fence acts as a barrier to elk. Several small research plots fenced with barbed • <br />wire and short hogwire occur outside the main 50-acre research plot. Visible plot markers of <br />rebar and short fencing indicate these areas have been utilized for many past research <br />projects and recent markers of flags and stakes demonstrate numerous on-going research <br />projects. At least 10-12 ongoing research projects are in progress at all times (Paschke <br />2009). <br />Surface disturbance within the CSU managed research plots has been extensive over the past <br />40 years and includes grading, tilling, fertilization, irrigation, and seeding activities (Paschke <br />2009). Several berms of stockpiled topsoil and/or subsoil remain as evidence of prior <br />research. Exposed subsoils near these berms were part of revegetation research at one time. <br />Retorted shale fines, tilled into or broadcast on the surface soil, remain in some areas as <br />evidence of past test plots. The main access road into the 50-acre research plot is gravel <br />surface. The remainder of the study area is basically undisturbed except for two-track dirt <br />roads providing access to research plots outside the CSU perimeter fence. Although the <br />research area has been utilized extensively over the years, the overall impact to the soils <br />appears to be minimal. <br />The vegetative cover surrounding the study area consists of pinyon pine and juniper trees, <br />sagebrush, rubber rabbitbrush, and mixed grasses and forbes, including needleandthread <br />grass, western wheatgrass, prairie junegrass, winterfat, and prickly pear. The land is <br />currently used as open range. <br />• <br />3