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slopes in these areas, no topsoil was salvaged. Since enactment of the 1976 law, topsoil has been <br />salvaged from disturbed areas. <br />Soils within those portions of the permit area which have been or will be disturbed by surface operations <br />and facilities are generally deep, encouraging surface runoff. As a result, the water erosion hazard is <br />often high. Generally, available water capacities are high, reflecting the potential of these soils to store <br />water for plant use. Topsoil layers at the existing facilities are shallow, ranging from about two (2) <br />inches to eight (8) inches; surface textures are generally loams or clay loams with subsoils ranging from <br />clay loams to clays. However, at the Roatcap Creek (West Mine) facilities soils are much deeper, <br />ranging from two (2) feet to four (4) feet in many places. Basaltic cobbles and stones are common <br />throughout the profile of most soils. The general area is somewhat susceptible to landslides, especially <br />in the steeper topography of the East Mine bench area and, as such, the continual sloughing of colluvial <br />material in this area impairs horizon development. <br />Vegetation Rules 2.04.10, 2.05.4(2)(e), 4.15 <br />Information pertaining to vegetation baseline studies is presented in Section 2.04 of Volume 1 and in the <br />Vegetation Appendix of Volume 9A. Information pertaining to the revegetation plan and vegetation <br />success criteria is in Section 2.05 of Volume 1 and in the Vegetation Appendix of Volume 9A. <br />Initial disturbance at the mine occurred prior to any requirements for preparation of vegetation <br />inventories; therefore, portions of this mine site were not surveyed. However, as new areas were <br />proposed to be disturbed, they were first inventoried. <br />Nine vegetation types have been inventoried in the mine permit area, including agriculture, aspen, mixed <br />shrub, mountain meadow, oakbrush, pinon juniper, sagebrush, sparse herbaceous understory, and <br />riparian. <br />The majority of the disturbed areas at Bowie No. 1 Mine are located in oakbrush communities <br />dominated by Gambel oak ( uercus gambelii) and serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia) and in <br />pinon juniper communities where Utah juniper (Juniperus osteosperma) dominates over pinon pine <br />(Pinus edulis). Other communities disturbed to a lesser degree include agriculture (orchards), mixed <br />shrub, and riparian. <br />No threatened or endangered plant species have been identified on the permit area. <br />Fish and Wildlife - Rules 2.04.11, 2.05.6(2), 4.18 <br />The fish and wildlife resources sections of the application are in Section 2.04 of Volume 1 and in the <br />Wildlife Appendix, Volume 9A. The Fish and Wildlife Mitigation Plan is found in Section 2.05 of <br />Volume 1. <br />The general area contains important winter range for both elk and deer, and over 10,000 hunter days per <br />year are spent in this area. Golden eagles have been nesting near the mine site for several years, but no <br />threatened or endangered wildlife species have been observed. The North Fork of the Gunnison River <br />contains twelve (12) species of fish, including three (3) species of game fish (rainbow trout, brown trout, <br />and northern pike). However, due to the poor production of benthic organisms and poor habitat <br />conditions, the North Fork is not stocked frequently. <br />Page 13 of 42 <br />