Laserfiche WebLink
<br />"'2 <br />'.' <br />~' -,"' , <br />\ -.l-~:) <br /> <br />~!"), <br /> <br />....-I <br />o::l" <br />It? <br /> <br />planted to grass may require 3 to 5 <br /> <br />years and browse areas' 10 to 15 years <br /> <br />before growth will reach a useful <br />maturity. This might result in as much <br />as 1500 to 2250 revegetated acres being <br /> <br />unavailable to wildlife at any given <br /> <br />time. There is evidence from experimental <br /> <br />range restoration projects in Utah that <br /> <br />initial overuse of revegetated lands <br /> <br />is much reduced if they are released <br /> <br />from protective fencing in parcels of 500 <br /> <br />acres or more. Such a practice could <br /> <br />reduce unavailable acreage to less than <br /> <br />1000 acres at a time. <br /> <br />According to the Colorado Division of <br /> <br />Wildlife, the most important present <br /> <br />function of the mine area is as deer and <br /> <br />elk winter range. As discussed in Section <br /> <br />1.4.7, mild winteis allow big game to feed <br /> <br />on the north slopes, which allows browse <br /> <br />on the south slopes, heavily used in <br /> <br />normal winters, to rejuvenate. These <br /> <br />rest periods for ~ejuvenation are <br /> <br />believed to be important in maintaining <br /> <br />-162- <br />