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0 1 2014 <br />Division or °eclamation, <br />Niirw ;, & Safety <br />BACKGROUND: <br />WOO CONFIDENTI.A4w <br />DECISION MEMO <br />for <br />Chris Garrison <br />Golddigger Plan of Operations <br />Golddigger 1 and 2 Unpatented Mining Claims <br />USDA, Forest Service <br />Pike National Forest <br />South Park Ranger District <br />Park County, Colorado <br />T 9 S, R 77 W, Section 8, 6th Principal Meridian <br />Chris Garrison, owner and operator of the Golddigger 1 and Golddigger 2 unpatented mining <br />claims, has proposed a new Plan of Operations to dig a trench up to 400 feet by 12 feet on the <br />bench on the east side of Beaver Creek, approximately four miles north of Fairplay, Colorado, <br />Park County. Mr. Garrison has prospected on his unpatented mining claims for nearly 20 years <br />by hand digging, core drilling, trenching with a backhoe and dredging in Beaver Creek. All <br />previous prospecting has occurred on the west side of Beaver Creek, other than the dredging. <br />Previous prospecting has resulted in minor traces of mineral deposits; however, the water table <br />has proven to be very high and has interfered with further exploration. Given the issues on the <br />west side of the creek, Mr. Garrison decided to explore the east side, and hand dug a 12'x 12' <br />hole into the slope just above Beaver Creek in 2012. This was done without authorization from <br />the Forest Service or the State of Colorado, which has since been addressed. Mr. Garrison's <br />discovery with the rogue hole was a true alluvial bench, as opposed to a false one he had been <br />pursuing. The proposal in this Plan of Operations is to pursue the true bench to determine if <br />there are the mineral deposits expected in this formation. <br />Mr. Garrison will continue to dredge in Beaver Creek, which had been previously authorized in a <br />Plan of Operations. <br />PROPOSED ACTION: <br />The Forest Service is proposing to authorize Chris Garrison a Plan of Operations to mine on the <br />Golddigger 1 & 2 unpatented mining claims in the Beaver Creek drainage on the South Park <br />Ranger District approximately four miles north of Fairplay, Colorado in Park County. <br />Mr. Garrison has proposed to use a backhoe to dig a trench up to 400 feet long by 12 feet wide <br />on the bench on the east side of Beaver Creek. Mr. Garrison will be using a "cut and fill" <br />approach to the trench work, with initial digging occurring at intervals to locate any veins. All <br />holes, if unproductive, will be filled immediately and reclaimed. Once a promising vein is <br />located, he will excavate through that area, and then run material through a highbanker, using an <br />off -site consumable source within a closed system. Some green trees may need to be removed <br />during the course of the operation and along the two -track to provide clearer access. Mining will <br />