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1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 General Area Location and Description of Land to be Affected The general location of the exploration area is seven to ten miles southwest of the town of Hayden, Colorado. The general topography is characterized by relatively gentle north and northeast facing slopes. Topographic relief in the area is approximately 1,000 feet, with surface elevations of the drill sites ranging from 7530 to 6600 feet. The area contains several minor northeast trending drainages. Perennial streams in the area are Smuin Gulch, Stokes Gulch, Dill Gulch, Temple Gulch and Dry Creek. Other streams support ephemeral flow. The area is bounded on the north and northwest by the Breeze Basin and the Yampa River, and on the southeast by Watering Trough Gulch and Dry Creek. It is bounded on the south by the Williams Fork Mountains. The proposed exploration drilling will be conducted as to not impact any of the above mentioned drainages. The exploration area contains some areas of sandstone outcrop but is primarily gentle hills and fields with small dissecting drainages. The primary land uses are rangeland, pastureland, and cropland. A variety of vegetation types occur in the area. The vast majority being composed of pastureland and cropland. The cropland areas are primarily utilized for dryland wheat while the seeded pastures are wheatgrasses. Drilling will take place primarily in cropland/hayland areas and within pastureland areas. Vegetation types adjacent drill locations PDH-5, 6(site A), 7(site B), 3, 15, 16, and 17 are composed of shrubs, the dominant being serviceberry and Gambel's oak mixed with pastureland grasses. The remaining drill sites are located in pasture and cropland. The proposed exploration activities should not significantly impact any of the various vegetation types found throughout the area. The soils within the area are formed primarily from weathered fine grained sandstone, siltstone, and shale. The dominant soils are moderately deep to deep, well drained and have loam to fine sandy loam surface textures.l Geologic Setting Coal-bearing strata of the project area are found in the Iles and Williams Fork Formations of the Mesaverde Group. The coals of primary interest are designated as the Middle Coal Group and include the Lennox, Wadge, Sage Creek, and Wolf Creek Seams. The stratigraphic sequences are illustrated and presented as Figure 1Williams Fork Tract Profile, Bureau of Land Management, 1982.