2016-04-07_PERMIT FILE - M2016010 (5)

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