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species such that cattails may be prevalent in one spot, willows in another, and <br /> hydrophytic graminoids codominate in yet another. Wildlife use was judged to be very <br /> limited in the graminoid dominated situations because of limited structural complexity. <br /> Therefore, quantitative wildlife sampling efforts were concentrated in a large tract of <br /> swale where a substantial willow and cattail component occurred in association with <br /> graminoid dominated vegetation. The Swale habitat covers approximately 13.6 percent of <br /> the study area and 25.6 percent of the permit area (Table 1 ). <br /> Agricultural Areas. The agricultural habitat consists of the irrigated hayland, irrigated <br /> pasture, and irrigated cropland vegetation types as presented and discussed in Tab 10. <br /> This habitat comprises the majority of both the study and proposed permit areas, covering <br /> 64.9 and 55.3 percent of those areas, respectively (Table 1 ). This habitat consists of <br /> low-statured annual and perennial herbaceous species that have significant agricultural <br /> value. In the cropland areas, annual small grains and corn used for silage are the <br /> principal crops. This intensively managed and structurally simple habitat was <br /> qualitatively evaluated as receiving little wildlife use. Therefore, only limited <br /> quantitative wildlife sampling was conducted in it. <br /> Ponds and Streams. All of the ponds in the study area, except the Nucla sewage lagoons, <br /> occur as a direct result or process of the extensive irrigation practices. Several small <br /> ponds, used primarily for livestock watering, are maintained by the irrigation network in <br /> the study area (Exhibit 11-3). Water persistence is permanent in the ponds because the <br /> main irrigation supply ditch is turned on intermittently during the non-growing season to <br /> keep them full . All streams are small and restricted to irrigation ditches or small <br /> natural drainages. Tuttle Draw to the north of the study area and Calamity Draw at the <br /> southern edge, support small base flows during the October to April eeriod when the main <br /> irrigation supply ditch is dry. The remaining ditches are dry in this period. The flows <br /> of the smaller ditches are intermittent during the growing season depending on changes in <br /> irrigation demands. <br /> Rangeland. The rangeland habitat is composed of fragmented remnant stands of native <br /> sagebrush (Artemisia sp.) shrubland with scattered junipers (Juniperus osteosperma) and <br /> pinyons (Pinus edulis) in some blocks. These stands are interspersed throughout the other <br /> habitats (Exhibit 11-3). The situations where the rangeland habitat occurs is usually on <br /> slightly elevated knolls and/or ridges that are inaccessible to irrigation water. The <br /> rangeland habitat is typically used as dryland pastures and is, therefore, heavily <br /> 11-2-5 Revised 04/11/88 <br />