2021-02-08_PERMIT FILE - M2021009 (11)

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ERC Wildlife Mitigation Plan Young Ranch Resource 2.0 SITE INFORMATION 2.1 LOCAL VICINITY AND YOUNG RANCH The proposed Project is located on the north side of 1-70 and east of Idaho Springs in the counties of Clear Creek and Gilpin, Colorado. More specifically, the Project is located in Section 27, 28, and 29, in Gilpin County, and Sections 32, 33 and 34 in Clear Creek County, Township 3 South, Range 72 West (latitude 39.75500' north, longitude 105.45222'west).The Project is bordered to the west by undeveloped forest, CCP to the North,State Highway 119 and undeveloped forest to the east, and CCP to the South. From 1-70, the Project can be accessed by heading west and taking Exit 243 to Hidden Valley, Central City for approximately 2.5 miles until reaching right-of-way pull out on the west side of Central City Parkway. The Project is best accessed by parking along the pullouts to the CCP and hiking into the Project. The Project is predominantly forestland with herbaceous understory. Refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 for a location map and a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)topographic map of the Project. The Project comprises approximately 469.7 acres and has an average elevation of 8,100 feet above mean sea level. Topography across the Project consists of steep, rocky slopes that slope downward toward the north/south. CCP borders the southern and northern edges of the Project and bisects the eastern portion of the Project.Two stormwater drainages exist on the northern and eastern portions of the Project(these will be the site of the waste rock landform areas, described in Section 1.2). Upper portions of these drainages have been historically disturbed due to the construction of the CCP and contain numerous quantities of riprap and fill material associated with the parkway. Existing culverts underneath the CCP will be widened during the pre-mining phase and Phase I. North Clear Creek is located east of the Project and flows from the north to the southeast. Numerous natural drainages exist within the Project with two stormwater drainages that divert precipitation and surface runoff from the CCP to offsite locations to the north, and to the drainages east of the CCP. All drainages located within the footprint of the proposed Project are intermittent/ephemeral and do not flow year-round. Fountain Gulch, a perennial stream, is located immediately to the north of the Project boundary and provides a year-round source of water for wildlife. Overall, the Project is confined and bound by heavily traveled roadways (CCP) and the vicinity of the Project is largely comprised of fragmented forestlands. 2.2 CENTRAL CITY PARKWAY CORRIDOR Since opening in 2004,the CCP is a heavily used four-lane highway that provides vehicular access between Idaho Springs along 1-70 and the historic mining town and gambling area of Central City. The highway is operated and maintained by Central City. The total length of the parkway is 8.4 miles. The CCP begins near the junction of U.S. Hwy 6 and U.S. Hwy 40 along 1-70, and heads north through a series of steep U- shaped bends through and around the proposed Project. Most of the route is heavily forested; however, the CCP enters a small valley immediately before Mile Marker 5 where the topography opens and is less vegetated at that location north to Central City. Wildlife-vehicle collisions are more common in the vicinity of Mile Markers 1 and 2, as well as within the valley in the vicinity of Mile Markers 4 and 5. Barbed wire fences are located along the entire stretch of the CCP that traverses through the Project. Further to the north in the vicinity of Mile Marker 5, the barbed wire fence has been modified slightly to include a small diameter pipe (-4") as a top rail,which helps to minimize wildlife entanglement. 5