2016-03-17_PERMIT FILE - C1981008A

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Section 2.04.11 Fish and Wildlife Resources Information Western Fuels Colorado, A Limited Liability Company (WFC) is revising Permit No. C-81-008. WFC's New Horizon 1 & 2 Mine is the old Peabody Coal Company Nucla & Nucla East Mine which operated under the same permit. Peabody performed detailed wildlife studies at the New Horizon 1 & 2 mine areas (formerly called the Nucla and Nucla East mine areas respectively). WFC refers the reader to the Wildlife Baseline Report from the original Peabody permit application: Volume D - Tab 11, a copy of which is also included in Attachment 2.04.11-1. When a reference is made to a table, chart, appendix or other types of data sources in the Peabody documents, the word "Peabody" will immediately precede the reference. Introduction Wildlife baseline studies were conducted on properties associated with WFC's proposed New Horizon 2 Mine. These studies were conducted during 1987 and early 1988. The majority of the baseline studies were conducted by Peabody Coal Company personnel. However, Peabody retained Cedar Creek Associates, Inc. to conduct a prairie dog and black -footed ferret survey in August 1987. The approximately 630 acre study area covers substantially more acreage than the proposed permit area in anticipation of future mine expansion to the west. The study area is used primarily for various types of agricultural production with irrigated hay, pasture, and crops providing the basis for this production. These studies augment the original baseline work conducted by Mariah Associates, Inc., for Peabody as reported in Peabody Volume 6, Tab 11. A copy of the original Wildlife Baseline Report conducted for Peabody is also included in Attachment 2.04.11-1. The purpose of the baseline wildlife studies was to quantify the wildlife populations, habitats, and habitat use by the wildlife groups occurring in the study area. From this information, mining related impacts can be assessed. In 1999, an amendment area west and north of the original permit area was added. Since the lands added were almost identical in land use to that of the study area of 1987 and 1988, no additional studies were conducted. A revised Map 2.04.11 shows the existing land uses within %2 mile of the amendment area boundary. Irrigated pasture is primarily the pre -mining and post -mining land use. Irrigated pasture was not analyzed in the original studies due its limited wildlife use. The 1999 amendment disturbed area does contain 67.0 acres of dryland pasture consisting of some sagebrush but all of this area has been highly disturbed through ranch/farm activity. Most if not all of the palatable and desirable species have been removed, therefore, these areas are not valuable to wildlife. The amendment area avoids both Tuttle and Calamity Draw, which does provide water, (Revised February 2015) 2.04.11-4