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3 <br />residential, and mainly residential and military training/aviation activity to the east. Badly <br />disturbed pasture exists on the site of the proposed mine access road. <br />13. Figure F-1 shows reclamation based on extensive Douglas Fir forest to be <br />established on the quarried sites. The species is shown on both north and south facing <br />slopes. No consideration of aspect is apparent. Douglas Fir would be of very limited use <br />in reclamation of the south -facing north side of the valley. Further, what has become of <br />pinyon/juniper woodland in the re -vegetation scheme? It is now fairly extensive. <br />14. Gambel's Oak depends on underground stems for reproduction and fire <br />durability. Reproduction by acorns is seldom seen. Attempts to plant oak on recently <br />disturbed lands have been problematic. The oaks now existing on the property may <br />include stands with root systems many centuries old. <br />15. A cocktail of the seeds of so many grass species, all sown for replanting on the <br />same newly spread "top soil", assumes all have the same requirements. This is <br />exceedingly unlikely. Does big bluestem actually occur on the site? <br />16. The present riparian habitat is small yet is rich in plant species. The result is <br />great plant structural diversity. This in turn favors high animal diversity. The restoration <br />map shows only a small section "restored" on LTC. A tract extending 50 meters on either <br />side of LTC includes much of the most valuable habitat on the entire mine site in regard <br />to the flora and fauna. It could not be artificially reclaimed if removed and would require <br />at least two centuries to return naturally. Two giant specimens of White Fir now present <br />would be typical of old-growth conditions and surely rank among the very largest White <br />Firs in the County. <br />17. It is a stretch to claim bare blasted walls might be more esthetic than natural <br />talus slopes. Is this an admission the slopes cannot be "reclaimed" or restored? Who in <br />the CDRMS office or the El Paso County office will know if one is more esthetic than the <br />other? <br />In the end, the proposed quarry site is in an ecotone where several plant <br />communities come together and mix. The result is a calico of flora resulting from the <br />