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with alfalfa hay (Medicago sativa) during the 1979 growing season and har- <br /> vested during the late suer. Although harvest records were not available for <br /> this site, similar dry land alfalfa fields in this area of Colorado produce <br /> between 2000 and 3000 lbs dry weight alfalfa per acre per year (personal <br /> coma unication, 1979, Mr. Thomas Darty, Agricultural Extension Agent, Mlontrose, <br /> Colorado) . <br /> Juniper vegetation type. The juniper corzrcurdty, characterized by Utar, <br /> juniper trees (Juniperus osteosperma) , comprises 1.80 acres on the study area. <br /> Tius type is actually an agricultural sub-type as the herbaceous ur(,erstory <br /> is alfalfa hay meadow. Juniper trees within t�s agricultural area were <br /> well scattered and thus, do not appear to have any affect on the production <br /> and species composition of the understory vegetation which is an alfalfa <br /> field. Free density is 45.7 trees/acre (a total of 59 trees occur within <br /> the type) and basal area averages 737.10 c:n2. All trees are Utah juniper. <br /> This juniper area represents scattered individual trees in an alfalfa field. <br /> (Mariah Associates 1979) . <br /> Riparian vegetation type. The riparian type comprises 1.93 acres or 1.70 <br /> of the total study area. The type occurs along an irrigation ditch and <br /> consists of a small community of common cattail (Typha latifolia) , baltic- <br /> rush (Juncus balticus) , and longstem spikerush (Eleocharis macrostachya) and <br /> a small tree cortrnuzity. The tree community consists of 11 Chinese elm <br /> (Ulmus pa_rviflora) , 13 narrowleaf cottonwood (Popuius angustifolia,) and 3 <br /> plains cottonwood (Populus sargentii) . Total density is 14.5 trees/acre <br /> while average basal area is 303.29 cane. Quantitative cover or production <br /> estimates were not made for this type (Mariah Associates 1979) . <br /> WILDLIFE <br /> Data gathered during 1979-1980 wildlife studies at Nucla Mine and site <br /> specific information found in the literature are discussed by major wildlife <br /> components below. A list of vertebrate species positively indentified for <br /> -18- <br /> JUN i 1 1980 <br />