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Seasonal Variety. It is requested that the seasonal variety requirements be waived for <br /> • the following reasons. Two warm season grasses, blue grama and galleta, occur in the <br /> premining vegetation community. Both of these species have been used in past reclamation <br /> activities at the Nucla Mine with very poor results. To achieve quick establishment of a <br /> protective vegetative cover and utilitarian levels of production, drought tolerant cool <br /> season grasses are included in the mix. These cool season grasses easily out-compete the <br /> poorly germinating and slower developing warm season grasses. This is compounded further <br /> by the very low precipitation received in the area. In order to document this concern, <br /> support previous field observations, and provide additional basis for the requested <br /> waiver, a study of areas revegetated with mixes containing warm season grasses was <br /> undertaken in the summer of 1988 to evaluate the success of warm season grass <br /> establishment. Cover and frequency data were collected on July 13-14 in reclaimed areas <br /> on both sides of the east/west county road and south of Mining Area 1. The cover and <br /> frequency data collected (see Appendix 22-1, Table 2 "Cover and Frequency Summary for <br /> Areas Reclaimed South of Mining Area 1 (5W Pits) - Nucla Mine, 1988) shows the warm season <br /> grass component to be insignificant in the revegetated stands. The average vegetative <br /> cover was 11.6 percent, with ground cover (vegetation and litter) at 36.9 percent. No <br /> . warm season grasses occurred in the 15 samples taken. An intensive search in the <br /> reclaimed areas for incidental species noted the very ocassional occurrence of sand <br /> dropseed, blue grama, and alkali sacaton. Sand dropseed was the most common of the three <br /> and alkali sacaton only occurred adjacent to a drainage which receives supplemental <br /> moisture. Seasonal variety is related to quality of forage and availability of forage <br /> throughout the growing season. Review of Seed Mix #1 shows that eight grasses of varying <br /> palatability and nutrient qualities are to be established with one legume (alfalfa), one <br /> forb (small burnet), one subshrub (winterfat), and one shrub (fourwing saltbush). The <br /> Last four species were included in the mix for their palatability, nutrient qualities, and <br /> enhancement of the overall forage quality in a stand with grasses. Both alfalfa and <br /> fourwing saltbush are warm season species. In addition, one warm season grass, sand <br /> dropseed, has been included in Seed Mix #1, as has alkali sacaton in Seed Mix #2. <br /> Local land use and grazing patterns in the Nucla area result in livestock utilization of <br /> Lower elevation areas (i.e., the Nucla area) during the fall, winter, and early spring. <br /> Livestock are moved to BLM and Forest Service allotments beginning in the spring and <br /> extending through the summer and early fall. The pattern is to graze progressively higher <br /> elevations as the grazing season extends through the summer. Thus, grazing does not <br /> generally occur (there may be some small operator exceptions) in the Nucla area during the <br /> 22-14 Revised 07/25/91 <br />