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<br />III. COMMENTS -COMPLIANCE <br />Below are comments on the inspection. The comments include discussion of observations <br />made during the inspection. Comments also describe any enforcement actions taken during <br />the inspection and the facts or evidence supporting the enforcement action. <br />This was a partial inspection conducted by Janet Binns of CDMG. Other DMG staff, Sandy Brown, Jim Stark <br />and Dan Mathews assisted with the vegetation sampling efforts. The Grassy Gap mine is a reclaimed surface <br />mine. The mine permit and reclamation liability bond have been revoked by DMG. The focus of this inspection <br />was to collect vegetation data to demonstrate reclamation success on this revoked mine site. <br />Janet had spoken to the property owners, Cross Mountain Ranch, via telephone conversations in October 2004, <br />April 2005, May 2005, and June 2005, to schedule the Division's sampling event and to request that the <br />landowner not graze the reclaimed aeeas until the Division had completed our vegetation sampling on July 8, <br />2005. The landowner had stated in the telephone conversations that they were fine with us being on the site and <br />that they would coordinate with us on the livestock grazing. <br />Hvdroloeic Balance: Pit 5 spoil spring flow is reduced to a trickle. The Pit 5 spring pool is stagnant. Pond 5 <br />was dischazging. Cattle were using Pond 5 as a water source during the inspection. Pond 4 was holding a small <br />pool of water several feet below the outlet elevation. Sheep were drinking from Pit 4. Rancher is placing salt for <br />the livestock on the embankment of Pit 4. Grassy Creek is flowing. Natural springs along access road to Pits 2/3 <br />were flowing at a low rate. <br />Reve etag tion: Pit 4 vegetation was heavily grazed. A telephone conversation with the ranch manager from <br />Cross Mountain Ranch, Mr. Phil George, on June 28, 2005 confirmed that Cross Mountain Ranch had moved <br />277 cow/calf pair of cattle on to the area at the end of June. On June 28, 2005, Mr. George did not believe that <br />sheep were on the site. Arrival at Pit 4 on July 5, 2005, found a large quantity of sheep and Iambs grazing on the <br />Pit 4 reclamation. The reclaimed vegetation was grazed down to 1-2 inches above the soil. The reclaimed area <br />was very heavily grazed. Limited questioning of the shepherd, in Spanish, revealed that the sheep had been on <br />the site for 12 days, since June 23, 2005. He did not provide a value of how many sheep/Iamb pairs were on the <br />area. We will try to obtain this information from Cross Mountain Ranch. <br />Vegetation in Pits 5 and 6 had been moderately grazed. Cattle were present on Pits 5 & 6 during the inspection. <br />Pits 2 & 3 vegetative cover was good. Limited livestock grazing has occurred in pits 2/3 this season. Cattle were <br />present on Pits 2 and 3 during the Division's sampling efforts. Vegetation in Pit 1 was fair. Limited livestock <br />grazing by cattle only had occurred No cattle were observed on the Pit 1 azea during the inspection. <br />The Division collected vegetation sample data on the reclaimed areas July 5, 2005 through July 8' 2005 in order <br />to document reclamation success. Data was collected for vegetative cover on both the reclaimed areas and the <br />sagebrush reference area (reference area 17). The reference azea had not been grazed by livestock. Production <br />data was collected as well from both the reclaimed aeeas and the reference area. The Division will request more <br />specific livestock quantity and duration numbers in order to calculate animal usage. <br />Wildlife: One Mule Deer buck observed along Grassy Creek between the pits. Numerous Turkey vultures and <br />hawks were seen soaring the site during the vegetation sampling efforts. <br />The Division collected GPS data during the inspection to use to evaluate the vegetation sampling data <br />