2014-10-21_REVISION - M1988044 (5)

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TR-07 RECLAMATION PLAN not actually a conflict because the laws and rules for reclamation plans for mining operations allows the opportunity to exceed the minimal requirements. The only thing those rules do not allow is performing reclamation to a lower standard than defined in the law and rules. The future use of this land is still undefined. Unfortunately, the reclamation law requires a reclamation plan that is final land use oriented. As a result the reclamation plan described here will implement a reclamation that provides for the greatest amount of versatility in future uses. At present, thought has been given to eventually developing this property,but it is also just as likely that this land will be set aside as a prairie habitat for the sole purpose of protecting a piece of prairie habitat. Defining the eventual use of the Lowry Range is an ongoing effort by the State Land Board. The long history of disturbance on this land from prolonged and sometimes excessive grazing, military training as a bombing range, various amounts of mining, oil and gas development, and the invasion of a particularly nasty noxious weed (Leafy Spurge) has left much of this land in far less than a pristine condition. On the other hand, analysis of the environment and condition has also shown that the rehabilitation potential of this land to a condition that approaches virgin prairie is a clear possibility. The fundamental ingredients for achieving that rehabilitation are present and by using proactive approaches and improved active management as well as adaptive management the"almost virgin prairie" condition is achievable or, at worst, approachable. It will take a good deal of time to achieve that goal, but it is not an unreasonable goal. This potential is one of the reasons the land was nominated for Stewardship Trust classification in the first place - it was recognized that this potential is present. Therefore, the reclamation plan described below is designed to aid in that rehabilitation process while, at the same time, extracting a valuable resource. In a word, the approach is based on the idea that extraction of resources is not always incompatible with the protection of ecological values. In some cases, with proper design, implementation, and the use of adaptive management, extraction and protection of specific values can be complementary. That is not often the case, but this property appears to be one of those exceptions to the more common case where mineral extraction is clearly contrary to protection of ecological stability and most values. In part, this potential exists simply because this is a grassland. Some grassland ecosystems are often quite resilient and malleable if approached with an understanding of how that grassland system operates. With respect to the short-grass prairie, this is achievable because this type of grassland has developed in a way that allows it to deal with often drastic and even extreme shifts in the natural environment. This resiliency is built into the system itself simply because developing resilient strategies in the short-grass prairie ecosystem is the only way it has been able to survive. Many other ecosystems, including many other grasslands, are structured too rigidly to allow much modification without doing damage or causing alterations in developmental and maintenance processes. However, even a tough ecosystem like the short-grass prairie has its limits. So long as those limits are observed the system can be maintained or even restored to excellent health. Coal Creek Sand Resource Amendment 3 (2005)- M-1988-044 Exhibit E Page 7