2010-11-19_PERMIT FILE - C1992081A (2)

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Topography within this habitat consists of gentle to moderately steep rolling hills with planer to concave surfaces, and benches. Topography within the permit area has been influenced by cut and fill activities assoc:fated with construction of the rail spur. Aquatic Areas. Aquatic habitat is limited to the surface area of ponds and the Dry Creek stream channel. Dry Creek is characterized as intermittent within the reach which bisects the permit area. For mapping purposes, wet portions of Dry Creek are included within the saline/alkaline wet meadow map unit (see Exhibit 11-1). The ponds contain water during some portions of most years, as evidenced by the presences of aquatic macrophytes and emergents within and surrounding the ponds. Habitats of Adlacent Areas. The permit area is bounded on the south by the Seneca II-W Tie- Across haulroad (refer to Exhibit 4-1). Agricultural areas exist south of the haulroad. The permit area is bounded to the west by abandoned cropland that has been reseeded with introduced cool season graminoids, sma1:1 parcels of saline/alkaline shrublands, active dryland agricultural areas, and residential/light industrial areas (the Routt County Road and Bridge Department maintenance shop and the West Routt Rural Fire District training facility). Residential/light industrial development has replaced abandoned croplands and shrublands along the permit boundary to the west of the rail spur in Section 15. Upland shurblands and a small parcel of grassland borader the permit area to the east between the rail spur and the Yampa Valley Regional Airport. Improved pasture borders the rail spur in Section 10. Fish and Wildlife Resources Mammals. Table 11-2, Mammal Species of Possible Occurrence in the Hayden Gulch Loadout Permit Area, presents a list of mammalian species that could occur within or adjacent to the Hayden Gulch Loadout permit area. The list was derived from the Colorado Mammal Distribution Lat/Long Study (Bissell and Dillon, 1992), by cross-referencing the habitat designations used in the study with those found in and surrounding the permit area. The SARB and DS habitat designations in Table 11-2 correspond to the saline/alkaline shrublands habitat previously described. The MS habitat in Table 11-2 corresponds to the saline/alkaline wet meadow type, and the Cr designation corresponds to disturbed lands and agricultural areas. Aerial censuring of big game species has been conducted over the Seneca II-W Tie-Across haulroad by Seneca Coal Company. Flight .lines overlap a large portion of the Loadout permit area, including all of Sections 13, 14, 23 and 24, T6N, R88W). The Annual Reclamation Reports prepared for the Seneca II-W Mine document big game observations in the vicinity of the Tie-Across haulroad. • RN-03 4 Revised 06/08