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• Municipal/residential areas are generally confined to the town of Hayden and its immediate <br />vicinity. However, isolated family structures or farmsteads exist irregularly throughout <br />the area. <br />Commercial/industrial uses include the Yampa Valley Airport, the Hayden Generating Station, <br />and five active or inactive surface coal mining activities (Figure 1). Scattered oil, gas, <br />antl methane drilling activities were prevalent in the mid-19B0's. <br />Table 9-1 presents typical productivity figures and livestock stocking numbers for the <br />various agricultural land uses in Routt County. The dominant land use in the county is <br />livestock grazing on approximately 950,000 acres of rangeland. Per acre stocking rates can <br />not be given due to insufficient production data on the numerous and highly variable <br />vegetation types and individual operator objectives. <br /> Another regional land use category is fish and wildlife habitat which incorporates land uses <br /> given over wholly or partially to the production, protection, or management of fish and <br /> wildlife species. While there are no specific intensively managed uses of this type <br /> present, the area is part of the Colorado Division of Wildlife's Big Game Management Unit <br /> No. 13. Most wildlife related use occurs simultaneously with the other land uses in the <br /> area. <br />Land Use Within and Adjacent to the Permit Area <br />Historic and present land use in and adjacent to the loadout facility is agriculture, <br />rangeland, industrial and wildlife habitat. Cropping and livestock grazing have been the <br />most intensive uses. The primary land use within the proposed permit area following <br />construction of the loadout and rail loop in 1979 has been industrial. Exhibit 9-1 is an <br />aerial photograph of the area in and surrounding the permit area. Land use patterns can be <br />clearly seen on Exhibit 9-1 in relation to the loadout facility and rail loop, and wi 11 <br />assist in review of the information in Tab 4. The various land uses are detailed below. <br />Exhibit 9-2, Pre-mining Topography, shows the general topography of the area prior to <br />construction of the Loadout facility and rail spur and loop. <br /> Agriculture. Dryland cropping is currently practiced along the northern no rtion of the rail <br /> spur in section 10 (T 6N AB BW) and south of the loadout facility and access road (see Exhibit <br /> 9-1 and Tab 10). winter wheat is the principle crop grown. Summer fallow is practiced to <br /> build atlequate soil moisture le vels for crop production. Historically, dryland crop <br /> production was a primary land use in the western portion of section 14 (T6N <br />TR-07 3 Revised 03/06 <br />