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Wildlife.An independent and objective wildlife study needs to be completed,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 included as <br /> part of the Aiken Canyon Potential Conservation Area.This area is identified by the Colorado <br /> Natural Heritage Program as a B2 site—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"is ludicrous. <br /> Anyone who frequents this area knows it harbors one of the largest concentrations of turkeys in this <br /> part of Colorado. Sighting of turkeys is an almost daily occurrence here.Turkeys,in particular,are <br /> 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 using the area,and the stream corridors are known to be important movement <br /> areas for wide-ranging animals such as mountain lions,black bear,mule deer,and elk There are <br /> unconfirmed reports of the presence of Canada Lynx,an endangered species recently reintroduced <br /> into Colorado,in the area.The proposed mining plan does not appear to provide an adequate buffer <br /> to protect the use of intermittent stream corridors by these sensitive species. <br /> Vegetation. Whoever prepared the vegetation analysis sections of the application apparently didn't <br /> spend much time on the site.The quarry site provides high quality foothills plant communities that <br /> are rapidly being converted to development north and south of this area.The dry(xeric)tallgrass <br /> sites along the Front Range are also rarely found in the high quality condition in evidence at this site. <br /> It contains excellent to good examples of globally-imperiled mountain mahogany/needlegrass <br /> community,an excellent occurrence of globally vulnerable pinon pine/Scribner needlegrass <br /> community,as well as an excellent occurrence of mesic oak thicket community.The lodgepole pine <br /> and blue spruce mentioned repeatedly in the application do not appear in significant numbers,while <br /> the white pine,which is 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 process and heavy machinery required to mine, is intrusive and creates significant <br /> noise and air pollution;thus having a direct impact on the surrounding areas and community.Air <br /> quality is compromised and diminished by the fugitive dust associated with aggregate mining. Dust <br /> generated by mining often contains silica,a common naturally occurring crystal found in most rock <br /> beds.Prolonged exposure to silica may result in silicosis.According the Centers for Disease Control, <br /> "silicosis is a disabling,nonreversible and sometimes fatal lung disease caused by over exposure to <br /> respirable crystalline silica.Over exposure to dust that contains microscopic particles of crystalline <br /> silica can cause scar tissue to form in the lungs,which reduces the lung's ability to extract oxygen <br /> from the air we breathe." In addition to silicosis,inhalation of crystalline silica particles has been <br /> associated with other diseases,such as bronchitis and tuberculosis. This is a health issue for the <br /> abutting and nearby residential home owners and their livestock <br /> 2 <br />