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EXHIBIT C: MINING PLAN <br /> (a) Period of Operation: Sierra Minerals Corporation(Sierra) desires to begin quarry <br /> operations in June or July of 1999. Colorado Yule Marble Company (CYMC) operated the <br /> quarry beginning in September of 1990 up until January of 1999 when the company failed. <br /> Sierra has an option to lease the quarry for 35 years. The option expires at the end of 1999. <br /> Sierra intends to exercise its option before operations commence. Reserves are sufficient to <br /> support a mine life well beyond the 35 years covered by the lease. Sierra intends to operate the <br /> mine for at least 20 years. This is the time period envisioned for the term of this permit. <br /> (b) Topsoil: The topsoil in the affected area is very thin to non-existent and found in <br /> small pockets on the generally rocky landscape. Salvage of this resource will be done where <br /> feasible, but very little topsoil is expected to be possible to segregate. Topsoil that is saved will <br /> be stockpiled in areas immediately adjacent to the anticipated final limits of the marble block <br /> waste piles. No topsoil stockpiles are planned at this time. Should it be found that mining <br /> activity sequencing allows or requires short term stockpiling, such topsoil piles will be placed to <br /> avoid contamination with rock or other materials, out of traffic areas, and not in areas where the <br /> material would be lost to erosion. <br /> (c) Overburden and Waste Rock: The quarry is an underground operation and will <br /> remove material from areas already developed in the marble seam underground. Additional <br /> entries may be driven to the south of existing entries, but within the affected area. There are <br /> existing waste marble piles that remain from prior operators. Most of the waste was generated <br /> from quarrying activities that occurred between 1886 and 1941. Exhibit E: Mining Plan Map, <br /> with a background of an aerial photo of the quarry site, clearly shows the surface extent of these <br /> waste piles prior to 1990 with the marble's characteristic brilliant white color. The background <br /> photograph was taken prior to the operating activities of CYNIC. CYMC's activities involved <br /> the construction of the private access road, extension of existing waste piles a few tens of feet to <br /> the north, east, and south, construction of access roads on the existing waste piles, and <br /> construction of stormwater control features. Sierra anticipates no significant additions to these <br /> features, although portions of the roads may be extended slightly or relocated to allow efficient <br /> placement of waste marble and the marble waste piles will be extended to the east and north. <br /> The operation will generate low volumes of waste marble. Production rates anticipated <br /> by Sierra are between 4,000 and 16,000 short tons of dimension stone annually. Such operations <br /> are expected to generate an equal tonnage of waste blocks, gravel, and saw cutting fines. The <br /> fines will be small, minus 50 mesh, and will be high in moisture content (estimated higher than <br /> 50% moisture) when placed upon the waste dumps. The materials will be blended in the dumps <br /> to prevent the fines from causing sediment runoff, wind entrainment, and to effectively utilized <br /> the waste area capacity by filling voids between the larger waste rocks. Some of the waste <br /> materials may be removed from the site if suitable uses and markets can be developed for them, <br /> although initial plans only call for removal of dimension stone blocks from underground working <br /> faces. <br /> 15 <br />