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The permit area is located within habitat designated as mule deer winter range. Mule <br />deer tend to migrate diffusely from upland to lowland areas in the winter. This results <br />in higher concentrations of deer in the canyon bottoms during the winter. <br />At the time of issuance of the initial five-year permit, The Colorado Division of <br />Wildlife, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the Bureau of Land Management <br />expressed some concerns relative to wildlife issues at the Munger Canyon Mine. These <br />concerns were: 1) the adequacy of the raptor survey in the permit application, 2) the <br />documentation of road kills in the vicinity of the mine, and 3) the presence of mule deer <br />critical winter range in the vicinity of the mine. <br />Additional raptor information was gathered by the applicant on July 20, 1983. <br />Subsequently, the U.S.F.W.S. provided recommendations on the establishment of buffer <br />zones to protect nest sites of high federal interest species of raptors, in association with <br />development of the central facilities area, which was proposed at that time. Because <br />disturbances associated with development of the central facilities area are no longer <br />proposed, and in fact no further surface disturbance is proposed or approved for the <br />permit area, the following stipulation is largely moot. It is included only as a reminder, <br />to ensure that the issue is addressed if the permit were to be revised in the future to <br />allow expanded disturbance. <br />STIPULATION NO. 12 <br />THE PERMITTEE SHALL MAINTAIN RAPTOR BUFFER ZONES <br />ESTABLISHED FOR THE MUNGER CANYON MINE BY THE U.S.F.W.S. <br />FOLLOWING COMPLETION OF THE INITIAL RAPTOR SURVEY CONDUCTED <br />IN JULY 1983. NO SURFACE DISTURBANCES SHALL OCCUR WITHIN <br />ESTABLISHED BUFFER ZONES EXCEPT AS SPECIFICALLY AUTHORIZED <br />BY DRMS IN CONSULTATION WITH THE U.S.F.W.S. AND C.P. W. <br />The operator had at one time committed in Section 4.6 of the application to conduct <br />a wildlife monitoring program in the Munger Canyon Mine permit area. These <br />monitoring activities were keyed to implementation of large scale mining operations <br />and disturbed area expansions that were planned and approved at one time, but never <br />occurred (there was no coal extraction at Munger after permit issuance in the early <br />1980's). Due to the fact that no further coal extraction is approved or proposed, and <br />the mine has been reclaimed (March 2018), the concern is now moot and the referenced <br />commitments have been withdrawn from the application in association with Permit <br />Renewal No. 5. <br />Construction of powerlines at the Munger Canyon Mine will conform to REA Bulletin 61- <br />10 to provide adequate protection for raptors against electrocution. The operator has <br />stated that a posted speed limit of 15 mph will be enforced at the mine to minimize the <br />potential for vehicle -deer collisions. The crossing over East Salt Creek has been designed <br />to safely pass the required flow events to avoid damage to the creek. <br />30 <br />