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Wildlife.An independent and objective wildlife study needs to be performed,rather than accept <br /> questionable statements by the applicant. The proposed quarry site is adjacent to and contiguous <br /> with the Aiken Canyon Preserve(managed by the Nature Conservancy of Colorado),and is a part of <br /> the Aiken Canyon Potential Conservation Area. This area is identified by the Colorado Natural <br /> Heritage Program as a B2 site—one with Very High significance.It should be noted that the Nature <br /> Conservancy shares our opposition to the quarry permit. The quarry site is an area rich in wildlife. It <br /> lies between large concentrations of wildlife in the federal lands to the west and Fort Carson to the <br /> east, and serves as a major migration route between the two ecotypes. It is inhabited by a great <br /> diversity and in some cases high density of wildlife. Most notably, the site is mapped by the US Fish <br /> and Wildlife Service as Critical Potential Conservation Habitat for the Mexican Spotted Owl, a <br /> federally listed threatened species. The Mexican Spotted Owl has been documented in the immediate <br /> area. The applicant's statement that"turkeys are not common in the mining area" casts doubt on the <br /> credibility of their survey. Residents know it harbors one of the largest concentrations of turkeys in <br /> this part of Colorado,with sightings of turkeys an almost daily occurrence.Turkeys,in particular, <br /> are intolerant of industrial operations such as mining. Colorado Parks and Wildlife identifies the <br /> proposed quarry site as a primary elk residence and migration area. More than 100 species of birds <br /> have been documented in the area, and stream corridors are known to be important transit areas for <br /> wide-ranging animals such as mountain lions,black bear,mule deer, and elk. There are unconfirmed <br /> reports of the presence of Canada Lynx,an endangered species recently reintroduced into Colorado <br /> in the area. The proposed mining plan does not appear to provide an adequate buffer to protect the <br /> use of intermittent stream corridors by these sensitive species. <br /> Vegetation. The vegetation analysis sections of the application are particularly poorly done. The <br /> quarry site provides high quality foothills plant communities that are rapidly being converted to <br /> development north and south of this area. The dry(xeric)tallgrass sites along the Front Range are <br /> also rarely found in the high quality condition in evidence at this site. It contains excellent examples <br /> of globally-imperiled mountain mahogany and needlegrass community,an excellent occurrence of <br /> globally vulnerable pinon pine and Scribner needlegrass community, as well as an excellent <br /> occurrence of mesic oak thicket community. The lodgepole pine and blue spruce mentioned <br /> repeatedly in the application do not appear in significant numbers,while the white pine,which is <br /> very common at the site,is not mentioned at all. <br /> Noise and Air Contamination.Quarrying requires drilling and blasting with explosives, which <br /> create vibrations, noise,and dust. Once this process is completed, rock crushing machines crush the <br /> rock, conveyor belt machines move the rock around the processing plant;trucks are loaded and <br /> unloaded. The processing and heavy machinery required to mine,is intrusive and creates <br /> significant noise and air pollution;thus having a direct impact on the surrounding areas and <br /> community.Air quality is compromised and diminished by the fugitive dust associated with <br /> aggregate mining. Dust generated by mining often contains silica, a common naturally occurring <br /> crystal found in most rock beds. Prolonged exposure to silica may result in silicosis.According the <br /> Centers for Disease Control,"silicosis is a disabling, nonreversible and sometimes fatal lung disease <br /> caused by over exposure to respirable crystalline silica. Overexposure to dust that contains <br /> microscopic particles of crystalline silica can cause scar tissue to form in the lungs,which reduces <br /> the lung's ability to extract oxygen from the air we breathe." In addition to silicosis,inhalation of <br /> crystalline silica particles has been associated with other diseases, such as bronchitis and <br /> tuberculosis. This is a health issue for the abutting and nearby residential home owners and their <br /> livestock. <br /> 2 <br />