Laserfiche WebLink
t <br /> DECISION NOTICE <br /> AND <br /> FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT <br /> Mule Creek Gravel Pit <br /> USDA Forest Service I <br /> Pike and San Isabel National Forests, <br /> Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands <br /> Pikes Peak Ranger Distict <br /> Teller County, Colorado <br /> i <br /> INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND <br /> I <br /> PK Enterprises, Inc., (PKE) has submitted a Special-Use Application to the Pike National <br /> 1 Forest proposing to remove gravel from a previously developed quarry Mule Creek <br /> 1 P P b b P Y P q Y( <br /> Gravel Pit) located about four miles south of Divide on the east side of Colorado State <br /> Highway 67 in Teller County. The existing abandoned quarry site is located partly <br /> within the Pike National Forest and partly on private land and is immediately adjacent to <br /> the Highway 67 entrance to Mueller State Park. Under the proposed action, the applicant <br /> would develop and reclaim the site in three phases: I) pre-production site preparation; <br /> 2)production; and 3) reclamation. Part of the reclamation phase would be implemented <br /> 1 concurrently with production. j <br /> i <br /> Aggregate from the Mule Creek Gravel Pit wduld be used for road maintenance and <br /> construction in Teller County. The mining of the Mule Creek Gravel Pit would allow for <br /> the reclamation of a site that is currently abandoned, is subject to excessive erosion and <br /> creates undesirable visual impacts. As the Forest Service does not have the resources to <br /> reclaim the site under existing conditions, the proposed action provides an unique <br /> opportunity for its reclamation while also serving the need for aggregate in Teller <br /> County. The proposed reclamation for the Mule Creek Gravel Pit would return the land j <br /> :a a more natural condition by creating more natural contours and restoring vegetation. <br /> Under the regulations of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) fuc <br /> implementation of the NEPA, an Environmental Assessment(EA) was prepared to <br /> determine whether the proposed action may cause significant environmental impacts (40 <br /> CFR 1500). The EA identified and evaluated two alternatives to the action proposed by <br /> PKE. This Decision Notice describes the Forest Service evaluation of these alternatives <br /> and responds to PKE's proposal. <br /> . i <br /> � i <br />