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TAB 4 <br />Land Use <br />Tab 4, Land Use, details general site description and land use information for the Yoast <br />Mine permit area and associated haul road corridor. Additional information in support of <br />this tab may be found in Tab 5, Cultural Resources; Tab 7, Hydrologic Description; Tab 9, <br />Soil Survey; Tab 10, Vegetation; and Tab 11, Wildlife Resources. <br />Land use patterns in the region surrounding the Yoast permit area are oriented in three <br />relatively distinct bands. Irrigated cropland is closely associated with the floodplain <br />of the Yampa River. Moving south of the Yampa floodplain, dryland crops are grown on <br />sloping uplands which have been plowed out of native sagebrush shrubland areas. The <br />principal crop grown is winter wheat. Summer fallowing is practiced on these dry cropland <br />areas to ensure adequate moisture for crop production. Within the last ten years, many of <br />these highly erodible dry cropland areas have been seeded to a perennial vegetative cover <br />under the U.S Department of Agriculture - Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation <br />Service (USDA-ASCS) Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). As the terrain becomes more <br />mountainous and dominated by mountain brush and aspen communities, rangeland and wildlife <br />habitat become primary uses. <br />Industrial, recreational, and residential uses have been common in the region for some <br />time, but have increased in importance since the 1970's. Industrial uses include the <br />Yampa Valley Airport near Hayden, the Hayden Electric Powerplant, oil and gas development, <br />and a number of active surface and underground coal mines. These mines include Seneca <br />Coal Company's Seneca II and Seneca II -W Mines and Cypress Minerals' Colorado Yampa/Foidel <br />Creek Mine. The mining operations are located in the mountainous areas south and <br />southeast of Hayden. Recreational uses in the area are oriented towards hunting, <br />primarily big game. The region experiences a large influx of hunters, both in-state and <br />out-of-state, during the big game hunting season. Residential areas are generally <br />confined to the town of Hayden and its immediate vicinity. In recent years there has been <br />an increase in homesite development in outlying areas. These homesites include both <br />permanent homes and summer residences. <br />1 <br />