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toward communities dominated by juniper, pinon, mountain mahogany and xerophytes. <br />Historical farming and ranching within the current permit area modified, to varying degrees, natural <br />vegetative communities. Much of the land along toe -slopes and valley bottoms was cleared of <br />native vegetation and is currently used for dry land agriculture. Most of the north -facing slopes in <br />the area have been historically used for the grazing of sheep and/or cattle. These activities <br />produced a mosaic of vegetation communities in the permit area comprised of mountain shrub, <br />sagebrush/grass, and pinon/juniper. <br />Wildlife <br />Fauna are diverse in and adjacent to the permit area due to the wide variety of habitat types and <br />include: Antelope, Mule deer, Elk, Blue grouse, Columbian sharp -tail grouse, and sage grouse. <br />All are residents or occasional residents of the permit area, as are numerous types of <br />waterfowl, song birds and raptors. The area provides habitat and migration routes for antelope, <br />elk and mule deer. Raptors, several species of game birds, and numerous smaller mammals are <br />found in the Williams Fork Mountains and surrounding areas. <br />Land Uses <br />Land uses in the area are rangeland, wildlife habitat, and agriculture. Cattle and sheep graze in <br />the Williams Fork Mountains. Dry land wheat is cultivated on colluvial toe slopes of the <br />Williams Fork Mountains. Native hay and dry land wheat are cultivated on the soils of the <br />Yampa and Williams Fork River valleys. <br />Description of the Operation and Reclamation Plans <br />The permit area covers 11,156.69 acres. <br />Mining Method <br />Total cumulative coal production over the life of the Trapper mine is projected to be a maximum <br />of 74 million tons. Coal mining occurs at the Trapper Mine using surface mining methods. <br />Draglines remove overburden and interburden, while front-end loaders and haul trucks remove <br />the coal seams. Trapper Mining, Inc. has historically oriented the pits north -south, parallel to the <br />downhill dip of the coal seams. PR -05 reoriented pits G, F and Z (East F -Pit) parallel with the <br />strike of the coal seams in an east -west direction. Strike line pits progress from north to south. <br />Each successive pit cut occurs next to and parallel to the previous cut. When more than one seam <br />is recovered in a pit, partings are removed by dozer, or backhoe, or similar equipment if thin; or <br />by dragline, if thick. <br />The October 2006 landslide in the East Panel of Trapper Mine created a need for a change in <br />mining methods for the East Panel area, resulting in Permit Revision PR6. The K -Pit and L -Pit <br />(originally identified as G Pit) were originally planned as dragline pits, consistent with Trapper's <br />historical mining method. <br />Strip Pits <br />Trapper mined coal from the following four pits during the 2013-2017 permit term: <br />1. Ashmore East Pit <br />10 <br />