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0 Once identified and contacted (usually by phone only) the <br />operators were asked to respond to a number of questions about <br />their extraction activities. These included the number of cubic <br />yards of peat extracted annually, the location and number of <br />sites being worked, and the number of surface acres disturbed. <br />In a few cases only information from the previous year was <br />available. Where this occurred, the year was noted and the <br />extraction was treated as if it had occurred in 1989. <br />The total volume extracted annually, and the surface acres <br />disturbed in the process, were calculated by summing operator <br />responses to each of the questions. An arbitrary distinction was <br />made between large and small operators based on whether they <br />extracted more or less than 1,000 cu yds annually. <br />Sixteen operators were confirmed to be operating in <br />Colorado. Nine of these were considered to be major operators <br />(extract > 1000 cu yds /yr) and nine were considered minor <br />operators (extract < 1000 cu yds /yr). Peat operators, their <br />county of operation, and their annual extraction rates are listed <br />in Table III. The total estimated annual extraction is 102,060 <br />cu yds. The largest operator was the Hyponex Company, which <br />ships Colorado peat to the states of Wyoming, Montana, Utah, New <br />Mexico, Texas, South Dakota, Kansas, and Nebraska. The smallest <br />operators were individuals believed to be extracting peat for <br />personal use only. <br />Most operations are located within 100 miles of Denver and <br />Colorado Springs, and seemed to be clustered in northern Park <br />0 25 <br />