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Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining & Safety <br />14 December 2006 <br />Page 3 of 4 <br />• 171 acres were permanently reclaimed via re-vegetation during the years 1982- <br />1984. <br />•. An additional 110 acres associated with disturbed areas above the Middle Fork <br />Dam and Reservoir and all side slopes on the Dam Access Road were reclaimed. <br />• 4 acres in the Switchyard Fill area were re-vegetated in 1989. <br />The reclamation work has been accomplished in accordance with the approved <br />reclamation plan and also through application of several advanced efforts and techniques <br />to improve the success of the vegetation taking root. These additional efforts included: <br />• Using select hay mulch from the Upper Colorado Environmental Plant Center or <br />From farmers with certified fields to minimize the invasion of unwanted species. <br />• Use of custom developed seed mixes, including shrubs, forbs, and special <br />cultivars, obtained from the UCEPC. <br />• Experimentation with varying the seeding schedule. For example, in Area 19B <br />forbs were seeded in the first season, followed by seeding with grasses the <br />following year to give forbs a head start over the faster growing grasses. <br />• Harvesting shrub seeds and cuttings from the Colony property for several species <br />not readily available commercially, contracting with a nursery to grow seedlings <br />from the cuttings, and planting thousands of the seedlings. <br />• Collecting seed from two rare plants (Barnaby's Columbine and sedge fescue) <br />and re-establishing communities of these plants on site. <br />• Inoculating shrub plantings with microrhyzal fungi to enhance shrub survival <br />when competing with more aggressive plants. <br />In addition, ExxonMobil proposes to develop, in consultation with DRMS, a plan for <br />further reclamation at the Colony Project site to be accomplished over the next five years. <br />Change in Use of Parts of the Colony Project Permitted Area <br />It is contemplated that future oil and gas drilling activities (for conventional oil and gas <br />recovery in formations underlying the oil shale resource) will occur on the Colony Shale <br />Oil Project lands. These activities may begin as early as 2007. It is expected that the <br />Colony Project roads will be needed to allow access for these drilling and producing <br />activities. Also, the Colony Project roads maybe used to access the southern part of the <br />Piceance Basin for oil and gas activities. <br />The approved Colony Project reclamation plan contemplates that some areas of the <br />Project may be used as roads, long-term water resources, or industrial use rather than <br />returning the land to agricultural or rangeland uses. With the current oil and gas activity <br />in the Piceance Basin area, it is evident that the access roads on and off-site are needed <br />for other industrial uses. The Parachute Terminal/Staging Area is also needed to support <br />oil and gas activities in the area. ExxonMobil intends to retain the Colorado River water <br />intake site as a water withdrawal and pumping plant for industrial use along with the <br />Middle Fork Reservoir. <br />