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Crystal River, through New Castle, to Meeker and beyond. Hayden's <br />reports served as a guide to these fuel deposits and they have been <br />developed at many points along their length. Coal was used to fuel <br />the smelters, the railroads, the steel industry, and power stations <br />throughout the west. In 1896 there were ten mines in operation in <br />Garfield County and they employed 457 miners, 287 who worked in the <br />mines at New Castle. In this area coal mining was the mainstay for <br />the local economy for many years, but has been gradually replaced <br />by cattle ranching and tourism. The vast majority of the high <br />quality coal deposits, however, are yet to be developed. <br />3.1.1 Preminina Environmental Resources <br />The primary existing environmental resources of the permit area <br />(other than coal) are the grasses and shrubs which are used to feed <br />cattle and wildlife. On-site water resources are minimal. Land <br />uses within the permit boundary include areas of grazing land, . <br />wildlife habitat (as a secondary use), large acreages of un- <br />developed land too steep for grazing, and small areas of cropland <br />(Figure 3,1-2), Land uses adjacent to the permit area have, in <br />addition to those land uses within the permit boundary, some <br />residential resources and developed water resources (as a secondary <br />use). Only a small portion of the surface resources of the permit <br />area will actually be disturbed by underground mining activities <br />and associated surface facilities (Figure 4.3-3). The actual <br />surface disturbance at the end of five years of mine development <br />will be 96.7 acres or 7~ of the permit area. Areas outside of the <br />permit area will not be affected by mining. <br />3.1.2 Capability, Condition and Productivity of Affected Lands <br />The capability of the lands in the proposed permit area to sustain <br />a variety of uses under high levels of management vary with the • <br />topography, soils, and vegetation within the area. In the un- <br />NCEC - Coal Ridge #1 3-2 ASC/1145/900301 <br />