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DECISION NOTICE AND FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT Mule Creek Gravel Pit USDA Forest Service Pike and San Isabel National Forests, Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands Pikes Peak Ranger Distici Teller County, Colorodo INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND PK Enterprises. [nc., (PKE) has submitted s Special-Use Application to the Pike Nations) Forest proposing to remove gravel from a previously developed quarry (Mule Creek Gravel Pi[) locazed about four miles south of Divide on [he east side of Colorado State Highway 67 in Teller County. The czisting abandoned quarry site is located party within the Pike National Forest and p•,tttly on private land and is immediately adjacent to the F{ighway 67 entrance to Mueller State Park. Under the proposed action, the applicant would develop and rec)aim the site in three phases: 1) pre-production site preparation: 2) production; and 3) reclamation. Part of the reclatna[ion phase would be implemented concurrently wi[h production. Aggregate from the Mule Greek Gravel Pit would be used for road maintenance and construction in Teller County. The mining of the Mule Creek Gravel Pit would allow for the reclamation of a site that is currently abandoned, is subject to excessive erosion and creates undesirable visual impacts. As the Forest Service does not have the resources to reclaim the site under czisting conditions, the proposed action provides an unique opportunity for its reclamation while also serving the need for a~rcgate in Teller County. The proposed reclamation for the Mule Creek Gravel Pit would return the land to a more nazural condition by creating more natural contours and restoring vegetation. Under the regulations of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) for implementation of the NEPA, an Environmental Assessment (EA) was prepared to determine whether the proposed action may cause significant environmental impacts (40 CFR I500). The EA identified and evaluated two alternatives to the action proposed by PKE. This Decision Notice describes the Foust Service evaluazioa of these altemazives and responds to PKE's proposal.