Laserfiche WebLink
<br />on pages 4-68-69 and 4-71 through 74 in Volume I. <br />The Coal Ridge No. 1 Mine proposes to disturb significant <br />acreages in three vegetation communities and a small area of <br />a fourth community. The applicant proposes to disturb 104 <br />acres of sagebrush community, 113 acres of pinyon-juniper <br />vegetation type, 30 acres of irrigated hayland, and 9 acres <br />of mountain shrub. The applicant had vegetation baseline <br />studies of varying scope and location undertaken by three <br />different consultants during different years (1981, 1982, <br />1983). <br />During the review the Division determined that none of the <br />studies provided sufficient baseline vegetation information <br />to meet the requirements of the Division (see Table No. 1). <br />The following information must be submitted before the <br />Division can approve the permit application: <br />Requirement No. 5 <br />A. THE APPLICANT MUST PROVIDE VEGETATION BASELINE <br />INFORMATION ACCEPTABLE TO THE DIVISION, FOR THE PARAMETERS <br />VEGETATION COVER, VEGETATION PRODUCTION, WOODY PLANT DENSITY, <br />AND SPECIES DIVERSITY FOR THE SAGEBRUSH, PINYON-JUNIPER, AND <br />IRRIGATED HAYLAND VEGETATION COMMUNITIES. <br />B. IF THE PERMITTEE ELECTS TO UTILIZE REFERENCE AREAS AS <br />THE MEANS FOR DETERMINING RE VEGETATION SUCCESS; AT A MINIMUM <br />ADEQUATE INFORMATION ON VEGETATION COVER, AND VEGETATION <br />PRODUCTION WILL BE REQUIRED FOR EACH REFERENCE AREA FOR EACH <br />COMMUNITY DESCRIBED ABOVE. THE PERMITTEE WILL FURTHER BE <br />REQUIRED TO DEMONSTRATE COMPARABILITY OF EACH REFERENCE AREA <br />TO AFFECTED COMMUNITIES." <br />SRM Response: <br />The results of three separate vegetation baseline studies that <br />have been conducted on the SKM Coal Ridge No. 1 project site have <br />been submitted to the Division for review. Additonally, the <br />field data for these studies have been submitted at the <br />Division's request. As per an agreement with the Division <br />(letters dated July 11, 1963 from Espey, Houston & Associates and <br />August 9, 1983 from the Division), the most recent field work <br />(1983) concentrated on the sagebrush-grass community. <br />Pinyon-juniper was not included because it could not be used as a <br />reclamation standard because no land forms suitable for its <br />establishment would be created by the proposed project (and no <br />Pinyon-juniper would be disturbed by Phase "A" of the project). <br />Detailed analysis of the irrigated hayland was not provided <br />because, as all well managed cropland undergoes periodic crop <br />