2014-05-06_PERMIT FILE - C1992080A

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2.04.10 Vegetation Information During the initial permitting, the Carbon Junction Mine proposed to disturb five vegetation communities; mountain shrubland, pinyon-juniper woodland, pinyon-juniper caprock woodland, old field, and agricultural fields. Baseline vegetation sampling took place in several phases at the Carbon Junction Mine. Initial baseline vegetation information submitted with the permit application was not acceptable to CDRMS. Prior to disturbance, additional baseline vegetation information was collected. In 1982, quantitative old field and agricultural vegetation information was collected by Pioneer Engineering and Pueblo Coal. During 1983, Western Resource Development collected quantitative information on three additional vegetation communities; mountain shrubland, pinyon-juniper woodland, and pinyon-juniper caprock woodland. Reference areas were selected and established for the mountain shrubland and pinyon-juniper vegetation communities. Aseparate reference area was not established for the pinyon-juniper caprock woodland, as this community was considered a phase of the pinyon-juniper woodland. Separate revegetation success standards were to be developed for this community phase from the pinyon-juniper woodland reference area. The old field was originally slated to be returned to a wheat field, where the agricultural production standards would apply. Results of the vegetation baseline sampling are contained in the summary reports and tables within Appendix 4-6.A vegetation community map of the permit and adjacent area has been included on Map 4-6. This map shows the locations of randomly selected transects within the old field. The vegetation map includes sufficient area beyond the permit area to allow evaluation of vegetation as important habitat for fish and wildlife. A rare and endangered plant species survey was conducted in the spring of 1983. No rare or endangered species more found to exist in the disturbed area. See Appendix 4-6. The baseline vegetation information is provided as a historical perspective. During 1996, Oakridge Energy submitted a request to change the post-mining land uses of the permit area to better reflect the changing land uses of the Animas Valley adjacent to the City of Durango (see permit section 2.05.5 Post-Mining Land Uses). As the land uses of the surrounding area had changed significantly in the intervening years, the plan to return the mine permit area to rangeland and wildlife habitat was no longer viable or appropriate in light of neighboring development and future post-mining development plans for the permit area. With the approval of Technical Revision 05, the post-mining land uses were changed from wildlife habitat with some cropland to industrial and commercial, recreation, and residential. With this change, the focus of the revegetation plan changed. While revegetation measures and methods did not significantly change, the need for maintaining reference areas for the vegetation communitieswas eliminated, as the revegetation success standards for the approved post-mining land uses are related to minimization of erosion (through plant cover). The reader is referred to section 2.05.4(2) for a complete description of the reclamation and revegetation plan. Abridged Permit Document4-18Permit Renewal RN04 4/2014