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INTRODUCTION
<br />At the request of Bowie Resources, LLC (as represented by J.E. Stover and
<br />Associates), the Paonia Ranger District of the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison
<br />(GMUG) National Forest (USFS), and the Bureau of Land Management Uncompahgre Field
<br />Office (BLM), a Class III cultural resource inventory and paleontological assessment of a
<br />block area totaling approximately 1850 acres (1360/Forest, 85 BLM, and 405 Private) of land
<br />in the proposed Spruce Stomp Lease Modification Area was conducted by Grand River
<br />Institute (GRI). The prefield check -in was conducted on the 9`' of October 2012 and fieldwork
<br />was performed between the 10`' and 25' of October 2012. The fieldwork was conducted by
<br />Carl Conner, Joshua Smith, Dana Archuleta, Lucas Piontkowski, and Travis Archuleta. Carl
<br />E. Conner, Principal Investigator, and Barbara Davenport prepared the final report.
<br />This project was conducted and completed so that it will comply with federal and state
<br />legislation governing the identification and protection of cultural resources on publicly owned
<br />lands or lands which will be affected by a government action. Accordingly, this survey was
<br />done to meet requirements of the Historic Sites Act of 1935 (16 U.S.C. 461), the National
<br />Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966 (16 U.S.C. 470, as amended), the National
<br />Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321), Executive Order 11593 (36 F.R.
<br />8921), the Archaeological and Historical Data - Preservation Act (AHPA) of 1974 (16 U.S.C.
<br />469), the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701), the
<br />Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979 (16 U.S.C. 470aa et seq., as amended), and
<br />Article 80. 1, Colorado Revised Statutes. These laws are concerned with the identification,
<br />evaluation, and protection of fragile, non - renewable evidence of human activity, occupation,
<br />and endeavor reflected in districts, sites, structures, artifacts, objects, ruins, works of art,
<br />architecture, and natural features that were of importance in human events. Such resources
<br />tend to be localized and highly sensitive to disturbance.
<br />On March 30, 2009, the Paleontological Resources Preservation Act (PRPA) became
<br />law when President Barack Obama signed the Omnibus Public Land Management Act
<br />( OPLMA) of 2009, Public Law 111 -011. P.L. 111 -011, Title VI, Subtitle D on Paleontological
<br />Resources Preservation (OPLMA -PRP) (123 Stat. 1172; 16 U.S.C. 470aaa) requires the
<br />Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture to manage and protect paleontological resources on
<br />Federal land using scientific principles and expertise. The OPLMA -PRP includes specific
<br />provisions addressing management of these resources by the Bureau of Land Management
<br />(BLM), the National Park Service (NPS), the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR), the Fish and
<br />Wildlife Service (FWS), and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) of the Department of Agriculture.
<br />The OPLMA -PRP only applies to Federal lands and does not affect private lands. It provides
<br />authority for the protection of paleontological resources on Federal lands including criminal
<br />and civil penalties for fossil theft and vandalism.
<br />Accordingly, the purposes of the inventory were to conduct an intensive archaeological
<br />and paleontological survey of areas potentially subject to direct impact from the proposed coal
<br />mining operations; to identify and accurately locate archaeological /paleontological sites and/or
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