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Your Phone Number* <br /> Used only to follow up. <br /> 7197781882 <br /> Extension <br /> Alternate Phone Number <br /> Used only to follow up. <br /> Alternate Phone Extension <br /> Connection to Operation <br /> Select all that apply <br /> Land Owner of affected land Structure Owner within 200' of affected land <br /> Mineral Owner Nearby Resident <br /> Adjacent Land Owner Concerned Citizen <br /> Government Agency Other <br /> DESCRIPTION OF COMMENT OR OBJECTION <br /> as specific as possioi(, -A <br /> Comment/Objection Narrative <br /> While gold mining companies love to tout the societal benefits of gold mining like its use in electronics and <br /> dentistry,etc.,the vast majority(80%!)of gold mined today is in the production of jewelry, most of which heads <br /> off to India.This is a frivolous and non-essential use of gold.And that's because the potential for environmental <br /> damage to the natural community of our Grape Creek Wilderness Study Area and its environs is untold. <br /> Huge water requirements every year,the inevitable destructive impacts of mining that includes ground <br /> destabilization, unforeseen drainage from the site which WILL happen eventually(most mining operations drain <br /> and carry unwanted materials,even if unintentionally),traffic impacts to Temple Canyon Road and other local <br /> roads,the potential for fire and explosion due to hazardous and lethal mining supplies on site, not to mention <br /> the laughable amount of money to be set aside for restoration simply cannot be worth extracting gold most <br /> certainly bound for the manufacture of jewelry. <br /> If you believe that Zephyr will only minimally affect the local environment OR that they will mitigate any potential <br /> damage then let me enlighten you.As a local government land use planner, I worked on projects in other rural <br /> areas of the state where developers won approval by promising mitigation for the negative environmental <br /> aspects of their developments,golf courses and luxury housing mostly;nothing like the environmental <br /> devastation of a gold mine(see CC&V in Victor).One of the common concerns of the local jurisdiction was loss <br /> of habitat for elk and other wildlife.The developer would inevitably win approval by being required to"mitigate" <br /> so that loss of habitat would not occur or only minimally impact wildlife or creeks or whatever impacts were <br /> identified.Well,guess what?In the case of golf course/luxury homes,after a few years of flying golf balls, <br /> homes with fencing around properties,barking dogs,and trees removal, plus the anemic oversight, if any,of <br /> whatever mitigation was required,the elk simply disappeared and the mitigation efforts that won over the local <br /> decision-makers in the first place turned out to be useless in the long run.You can mitigate and mitigate and <br /> mitigate until you ultimately lose the thing you love. <br /> So,just because something(a mining permit)is legal does not make it right-right for our community,right for <br /> Grape Creek and the Tunnel Drive area,or right for this place all of us call home. Besides that,all of us,even <br /> DRMS, have to take seriously that we have entered a critical point in our very existence on this planet.The <br /> degradation of this small part of our natural world cannot be worth its inevitable deterioration by such a use as <br /> this. PLEASE do not approve this mining permit application!The application does not have sufficient <br /> assurances that a long-term disaster will not happen or that short term significant problems can be resolved. <br />