1999-04-26_PERMIT FILE - M1999051 (2)

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EXHIBIT J VEGETATION INFORMATION The following vegetation information is submitted as Exhibit J for the Colorado Division of Minerals and Geology Regular (112) Operation Reclamation Permit Application for the AmerAlia Rock School Lease Project. Within the Rock School Lease there are three major vegetation types: Pinyon-Juniper Association, Sagebrush Association, and Barren/Rock Outcrop Association. Information on vegetation types was taken from several documents including the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Yankee Gulch Sodium Minerals. Project (BLM, 1999), BLM White River Resource Area Draft Resource Management Plan and EIS (BLM, 1994), BLM Draft EIS for Wolf Ridge Corporation Mine Plan for a Nacholite Solution Mine, and the Soil Conservation Service (SCS) Soil Survey of Rio Blanco County (SCS, 1982). Figure J-1 shows these major vegetation associations for the Rock School Lease. A description of the associations follows. J-1 PINYON-JUNIPER ASSOCIATION The Pinyon-Juniper Association occurs on a wide range of soils, elevations, and exposures in the Piceance Basin. It is limited primarily by semi-arid or cool-mesic climatic conditions and saline/ alkaline soils. This association is found on ridges and hillsides on the Lease area, and is closely associated with the Redcreek-Rentsac soil complex and the Rentsac Channery loam soil, and to a lesser extent with the Torriothents-Rock outcrop complex. The Pinyon-Juniper Association is used extensively for winter habitat by mule deer and for summer habitat by avifauna. The Pinyon-Juniper Association in the project area is characterized by low growing pinyon pine and Utah juniper woodlands. Overstory varies from sparse (20 to 50 percent cover) to open (50 to 80 percent cover) woodland, and understory shrub and grass-forb productivity generally varies inversely with overstory closure (BLM, 1994). The understory described by Tiedeman and Terwilliger (1978). consists of Indian ricegrass, mutton bluegrass, western wheatgrass, slender wheatgrass, and needle-and-thread grass. Mountain mahogany, big sagebrush, and flowery phlox are the dominant shrubs on sites with more favorable soil and climatic conditions. Douglas rabbitbrush, antelope bitterbrush, creeping barberry, and mountain mahogany occur on sites with rock outcrops over more than 30 percent of the area. The Pinyon Juniper Association covers approximately 628.8 acres or 47.6 percent of the Lease area. Approximately 38.6 acres are planned to be disturbed by the facilities. G:\LMNN8545.002\Reclamation\Reclamexh.DOC J-1