_GENERAL DOCUMENTS - C1981017 (258)

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Threatened and Endangered Species Information The following information is provided in order to help assess the impacts of the Project to sensitive species, if any, in the Project Area. General Information The Mine Bench Outslopes and the areas located at the toe of the Outslopes are the areas which will be impacted by the Project. The Mine Bench Outslopes will be scarified, seeded and mulched. Bands of trees will be planted on each Outslope, and intensive shrub planting will occur at the toe of Outslopes. Access to the Project Area will be provided by recently reclaimed mine roads. It is anticipated that these roads will be utilized by light duty vehicles, such as pick-up trucks. The predominant mode of transportation to and from the slopes for both manpower and materials will likely be helicopter. Crews may also hike into the work area or be transported by small all terrain vehicle. A staging area will be created in the lower portions of the Basin at a suitable location. Dominant Vegetation Type The Mine Bench Outslopes are man-made features generally devoid of volunteer vegetation. These features were created in the late 1950's through the mid 1960's. Two volunteer species are present on the Outslopes. Calamagrostis purpurascens and Senecio atratus occur periodically. It is estimated that the total cover afforded by the combination of both species is less than five percent (5%). The areas immediately overlying the Outslopes are the mine entry areas. These are flat benches created during the mining process in order to facilitate access to the coal and to accommodate mining related structures. The mine benches were reclaimed by the Division of Minerals and Geology in 1995 and 1996. Because there were used to support heavy industrial mining activities, no vegetation was present on the mine benches when reclamation was initiated. The reclamation process introduced native non-native species in order to vegetatively stabilize these areas. The toes of the Mine Bench Outslopes are characterized by the run out of the heavier and larger rock particles which are found on the Outslopes. Generally, the areas to be planted with shrubs are close to the toe slope break, and thus the shrubs will be planted on outslope material. Calamagrostis purpurascens and Senecio atratus occur more frequently at the toe of the slopes. It is estimated that the total cover provided by these two species combined at the toe of the outslopes is approximately ten percent (10%). In some locations aspen trees occur on a limited basis. Unidentified willows (Salix sp?) occur some distance below the proposed shrub planting area at Mine 3 North. Periodic willows are observable at or near the toe of some of the Outslopes. These frequently occur as an individual plant, rather than as a larger community. In other locations, some distance from the toe of the Mine Bench Outslopes, willows are observed to occur more frequently. Elevation, Aspect and Slope The crests of the Mine Bench Outslopes are generally located at elevation 10,000 feet. The crest of each Outslope is coincident with the former mine entry area.