2018-09-04_PERMIT FILE - C1980007 (17)

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Negative Results Report Cultural Resource Survey Mountain Coal's Sunset Trail Lease Modifications Permit Revision #PR -15 Gunnison County, Colorado August 2018 Project Description Mountain Coal Company, LLC (Mountain Coal) contracted ERO Resources Corporation (ERO) to conduct a cultural resource survey for Mountain Coal's Sunset Trail Lease Modifications Permit Revision #PR -15 in Gunnison County, Colorado (project area). Mountain Coal is proposing new access roads for new mine ventilation boreholes. ERO, in cooperation with Mountain Coal, developed a block survey area that will facilitate design modifications and the effects of future work. To provide access to the borehole locations, Mountain Coal would construct new temporary roads that are to be reclaimed after completion of mining activities. Mountain Coal proposes construction of 6.9 miles of 14 -ft -wide temporary roads and 38 mine ventilation borehole locations with a 2 -acre buffer. Because the project requires a federal permit from the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests (GMUG), a cultural resource survey was conducted in compliance with Section 106 (54 United States Code (U.S.C.) §306108) of the National Historic Preservation Act (54 U.S.C. §300101 et seq.) (NHPA). The area of potential effect (APE) is defined as 1,327.16 acres of lands managed by GMUG. ERO conducted Class II survey of 951 acres (72 percent) of the APE and the remaining 376.16 acres (28 percent) were excluded for slope. The APE is located on the Minnesota Pass 7.5 -minute U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) quadrangle (Figure 1). The legal locations are Sections 9 through 11 and 14 through 16 of Township 14 South, Range 90 West in the 6 t Principal Meridian. ERO archaeologists Jenny Engleman, Matthew Howryla, Shayleen Ottman, and Justin Batista conducted a Class II cultural resource survey of the APE from August 1 to 4, 2018. Natural Environment Contained within the Southern Rocky Mountains geological province, the APE is located along the north and south sides of South Prong Creek and along the slopes to the south of Lick Creek. Wooten Mesa is west of the APE and Mount Gunnison lies to the southeast. The area is characterized by steep northwest -facing slopes and deep drainages with thick vegetation (Figure 2). The elevation of the APE ranges from 7,800 to 9,400 feet (ft) above sea level (asl) The ground visibility is heavily obscured by thick vegetation and is approximately 10 percent. The surface geology consists of landslide deposits, the Mesa Verde Formation with major coalbeds, and the Wasatch and Ohio Creek Formations (Tweto 1979). ERO Project #10145 1 FRO RN;o"., C', ; C,:�roo: atio,-