Laserfiche WebLink
In the baseline surveys, six general vegetation types were found on the New Horizon Mine 2 <br />area: irrigated pasture, irrigated hay land, irrigated cropland (small grains), swale /drainage, <br />sagebrush/grass, and various miscellaneous types related to old farmsteads, abandoned orchards, <br />and disturbed areas. The Mine 2 area has been intensively developed for agricultural uses, <br />including substantial acreage of irrigated hay cropland and irrigated pastureland. There are <br />smaller acreages of sagebrush/grass type, swale drainages, and various miscellaneous cover <br />types interspersed among the developed agricultural lands. <br />Irrigated agriculture supporting livestock pasture and alfalfa hayland was the dominant land use. <br />Other land uses such as grazing of sagebrush habitats and wildlife use are largely incidental to <br />management associated with the irrigated lands. <br />Post - mining, WFC is proposing to reclaim the land to irrigated pasture, irrigated cropland - <br />alfalfa hay and dryland pasture. The distinction between irrigated cropland and irrigated <br />pastureland is that more intensive management practices are allowed for cropland. All prime <br />farmland areas will be returned to irrigated cropland. The remaining lands will be returned to a <br />combination of developed water resources (ponds), roads and commercial facilities. <br />G. Fish and Wildlife <br />The area surrounding the New Horizon Mine permit is used by a large variety of wildlife <br />including coyotes, fox, mule deer, elk (in the winter) and numerous bird species. Pond 007, <br />which has been approved to remain as a permanent feature following bond release, has been <br />observed to attract various species of migratory water fowl, including ducks, snow geese, white - <br />faced ibis, and Canada geese. <br />H. Climate <br />The regional climate of the New Horizon area is typical of intermountain regions. The climate is <br />characterized by cold winters, hot summers, low rainfall, and short growing seasons. The mine <br />receives approximately 12 inches of precipitation in an average year. The majority of the <br />precipitation falls between October and May. <br />IV. Description of the Operations and Reclamation Plan <br />New Horizon Mine I <br />The presently permitted New Horizon Mine 1 mine block encompasses 98.62 acres. The entire <br />acreage has been fully reclaimed but has not yet been approved for final bond release. The <br />originally permitted Mine 1 block encompassed a significantly larger area, but the remainder of <br />the original permit block has been fully released from liability. The Mine 1 block was <br />incorporated into WFC's New Horizon North Mine in June 2012. It is likely that WFC will <br />request release of Mine 1 from this permit in the coming months. <br />19 <br />