2012-08-10_PERMIT FILE - C1981018A

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ERO Resources o Uintah hermidium be delisted • o Jones parthenium be delisted o Graham beardtongue be maintained in endangered rank In the report on the permit area Nelsh and Neese discuss the scientific importance of these species and the potential impacts to their distributions as a potential result of mine permit area development. The authors conclude that only the ephedra buckwheat and Graham beardtongue will qualify under the provisions of the Endangered Species Act. Recommendations for avoidance and mitigation of potential impacts are also discussed. According to these reports endangered and threatened plant species should not present an obstacle to the Deserado Mine project given due care during construction and operation of these facilities. 13) Product ivity; Primary productivity of the area is moderate to low in comparison to the Great Plains Province and the Piceance Basin region and high in relation • to the Upper Uintah Basin (Table 3). Annual above-ground biomass compares with that obtained from studies in the lower Uintah Basin. low rainfall I<250mm per yoar) averaged for a long-term period (Bradley 1976) and overall soil quality are major environmenrtal factors influencing productivity on the permit area. Land use is a major and significant effect, as well. Heavy use of the area by sheep as winter range has substantially decreased herbaceous cover and increased erosion. Other ernironmental extremes, particularly tenQerature, also contribute to the depauperate nature of the vegetation IOlgeirson 1980). 14) Land Use: As previously discussed, the major land use of the area is as sheep winter range. This utilization has resulted in the complex vegetation mosaic discussed later in this section. The mosaic is, moreover, in a general state of decline or regression. The effects of heavy sheep grazing originally resulted in an overgrazed condition that favored high erosion • II.F-19