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Soils <br />The soils mapped in the permit area consist of the Glendive, Havre, Nihill and Rivra series, which <br />are excessively drained and have formed in alluvial or colluvial sediments. Soils are deepest in <br />the valley bottoms and become shallower along the canyon side slopes where they intersperse with <br />bare rock. All of the soils are rated good to fair as sources of topsoil for reclamation. Limitations <br />exist, however, for subsoils in the alluvium which demonstrate strongly alkaline pH values. <br />Vegetation <br />The mine occurs within the lower montane climax region. Four distinct vegetation types occur <br />within and adjacent to the permit area. A greasewood shrub land type occupies the flat terrain along <br />the East Salt drainage. Big sagebrush shrub land occurs along drainages and side draws to East <br />Salt Creek where soils are deep and well drained. Shadscale shrub land borders the greasewood shrub <br />land along the dry, steeper, south -facing slopes in the shallower soils, which are interspersed with <br />rock outcrops. Finally, Juniper woodland is found along the ridgetops and steep north and west - <br />facing slopes of shallow soils and rock outcrops. These vegetation types are common to western <br />Colorado and Utah. <br />Fish & Wildlife <br />Numerous wildlife species inhabit the permit area at various times of the year, including mule deer, <br />elk, and black bear. The rimrock on higher slopes are important nesting habitat for raptors, <br />particularly golden eagles. <br />Cultural and Historic Resources <br />A number of cultural resource studies were prepared for the initial permitting and subsequent <br />proposed Central Facilities expansion in the late 1970s to mid-1980s. Two pre -historic sites and <br />three historic sites were identified within the project boundaries as proposed at the time. Two of the <br />prehistoric sites that would have been impacted or potentially impacted by proposed mine <br />development were determined to be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. Both sites <br />(designated 5GF1147 and 5GF742) were located on BLM property near the mouth of Munger <br />Canyon. Both sites include rock art panels attributed to Ute Culture, and one of the sites also <br />includes elements attributed to the Fremont Culture. Mine development that would have potentially <br />impacted the sites did not occur, and the development is no longer approved or proposed. <br />Description of the Operation and Reclamation Plans <br />The original mine facilities were constructed in 1977 under a USGS exploration permit, and <br />included the mine bench, portal and face -up developments, and an access road. A small coal <br />mine waste disposal site was constructed in the fall of 2004 in lower Munger Canyon. A section <br />of the original access road was re -aligned in 2004 to accommodate development of the waste <br />disposal site, and the road to the waste disposal area was re -designated as a haul road to allow for <br />haulage of coal mine waste from State Highway 139 to the disposal site. As of December 2007, <br />the mine had been largely reclaimed; no further mining or mining associated disturbance is proposed <br />or approved. <br />I <br />