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<br />' 67. As approximately 25% of the project area is classified a Pinon-Juniper <br />' woodland, please commit to replacing these two tree species in the <br />areas where they currently occur. <br />Response: BMR will commit to replacing Pinyon-Juniper in the East Pit area <br />' and upper West Pit areas at a rate of approximately 100 trees per <br />acre. <br />' Exhibit E, Section E.2.5 revised 2/15/89. <br />Section E.3 Reclamation Implementation <br />Section E.3.1.1 East Pit <br />' 68. Please provide north to south and east to west cross sections of the <br />reclaimed east pit. <br />' Response: East pit cross sections have been added as Figure E.3.:.-1. <br />Exhibit E, Section E.3.1.1 has been revised 2/15/89. <br />' 69. Rule 6.1 states that reclamation grading shall be carried on so as to <br />create a final topography appropriate to the final land use selected <br />' in the reclamation plan. The proposed final configuration of the east <br />pit (75 ft. benches with highwalls 50 ft. in height and 90 ft. slope <br />lengths, approaching 1.5H:1V,f does not appear to be appropriate to the <br />final land use designated as rangeland and wildlife habitat. It should <br />be noted that this configuration does not appear to be consistent with <br />the contours shown on Figure F-1. Slopes steeper than approximately <br />4H:IV become exceedingly difficult to establish vegetation, inhibit <br />livestock utilization (Stoddard, Smith, and Box, 1975), and are more <br />susceptible to erosion and resulting sedimentation of drainages. <br />Reclamation of the proposed final configurations of the east pit is <br />further hampered by the south facing slope-aspect and coarse textured, <br />erodivle sub- and topsoils available for replacement, both conditions <br />known for moisture deficiencies and adverse impacts upon vegetation <br />establishment and maintained growth. Cook, Hyde, and Sims, 1974, <br />' specify that in Sagebrush Foothill Vegetation Types, "all south and <br />west-facing slopes should not be steeper than four to one, and five to <br />one, where possible. North-facing slopes should not be steeper than <br />' three to one." Cook, et.al., further specified that in Foothill Juniper <br />Vegetation Types, "If possible al) south and west-facing slopes should <br />not be more than four to one and north and east-facing slopes not more <br />than ~hree to one." <br />1 Approval of the Earth Resources, Inc. 1983 amendment was recommended <br />by the staff following agreement with the operator that the final pit <br />' slope configurations would range from 1.25 to 4 horizontal to 1 <br />vertical, and that any slopes greater than 30 degrees, or 1.75H:1V <br />would be broken with a series of terraces. <br />' It is recommended that the east pit be filled to capacity with the <br />waste rock generated from the west pit, and the final topographic <br />configurations approach that of the pre-mining contours. please <br /> <br />