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condition due to grazing impacts. Now, over most of the area, vegetation cover by shrubs, trees and <br />ground species has approached or achieved 100 %. Tamarix still has the ability to become established <br />in such dense growth, but it will have to claw its way to dominance now rather than have virtually <br />free reign over the habitat as was the case in 2006 and earlier years. <br />Grazing Status: There have been no changes in the plans of the State Land Board to reintroduce <br />grazing to these lands. That does not mean grazing could not be reintroduced in the future, but at this <br />point in time the future use of this land will be for wildlife and recreational uses. The latter is <br />especially incompatible with rangeland uses and if not well managed it can be incompatible with <br />producing quality wildlife habitat. <br />However, there does seem to be a growing interest in increasing the oil and gas production <br />from the Lowry Range as there appears to be some good potential for applying the new horizontal <br />drilling techniques being applied elsewhere with good success. That method though would not <br />impact the stream corridor as the drilling would be quite deep and the well heads in more upland <br />areas similar to the current well installations. In fact, in 2011, test wells were drilled in one upland <br />area and extensive seismic exploration was done. One drill pad is present in an upland area where a <br />few horizontal wells are being drilled at this time. All of this is occurring far from the main stream <br />corridors though and so long as degradation of upland vegetation is kept to a minimum and drainage <br />is controlled it should not have any significant impact on the riparian corridor. There is some <br />increased danger of damage from chemical spills or accidental discharges of drilling water and <br />chemicals used in fracturing deep beds of rock to release gas supplies. <br />Results of Stream Realignment and Low Water Crossing Installation <br />Vegetation development here continues to show excellent increases. The influx of sediment <br />seems to have declined and those areas are developing a good growth. The channel is very stable and <br />drainage continues to be good. Ponding in places still occurs, but the prolonged small "lakes" seen in <br />the past before the realignment was done no longer seems to occur. The habitats are diverse with <br />broad, gradual transitions. The old eastern channel that was filled and diverted is now virtually <br />invisible and there are no signs at all that water flow is attempting to move back in that direction. <br />The adjacent cottonwood forests, although composed of quite old trees, seems to have <br />regained some degree of vigor and a new generation of cottonwoods is developing at the lower levels <br />closer to the channel corridor. In effect, the realignment and rehabilitation of this area seems to have <br />saved the riparian forest in this area from a sure death. Now, barring any disastrous floods, this area <br />of the stream corridor appears to have a good future as continued open cottonwood forest. <br />2011 Annual Report Coal Creek Wetland Mitigation Permit DA 198811488 Page 4 <br />