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~~.,; <br />~' <br />WEST ELK MINE DRILL PADS FOR PANELS 16, 17, AND 17S <br />=; CULTURAL RESOURCE INVENTORY REPORT <br />1, <br />"" INTRODUCTION <br />~;;; <br />k~~ Greystone Environmental Consultants (Greystone) conducted a cultural resource inventory for <br />~`' proposed drill pad locations for West Elk Mine panels 16, 17, and 175. This inventory was <br />completed for Mountain Coal Company, LLC, as part of the baseline studies for an Environmental <br />Assessment (EA). The project area is located south of West Flatiron in the Gunnison National Forest <br />approximately three miles south of the North Fork Gunnison River (Figure I). <br />This project involves federal surface administered by the US Forest Service Grand Mesa, <br />s <br />Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forest, Paonia Ranger District. In accordance with policies <br />and regulations implementing Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (Public Law 89- <br />.~; <br />~;ti 665), as amended, the cultural resource inventory was completed to locate, identify, and evaluate any <br />cultural resources that might be affected by the proposed undertaking. The inventory was completed <br />I~ by Greystone archaeologist Carl Spath, PhD on September 18 and 19, 2001 under the stipulations of <br />~- US Forest Service, Region 2 Special Use Permit # R-97003, which expires on November 30, 2002. <br />All field documentation, original records, and copies of this report are on file at the Greystone office <br />Y in Greenwood Village, Colorado. <br />:i <br />The proposed project consists of 21 drill pad locations and access roads for possible degas vent holes <br />~ for panels 16, 17, and 17S of the West Elk Mine. This survey area contains proposed locations and <br />'~~ access corridors for drill pads 16-06, 16-07, 16-08, 17-01 through 17-09, and 17S-O1 through 175- <br />Tot 09. Locations for drill pads 16-01 through 16-OS are within the southern part of a recently surveyed <br />y'; block along a tributary of Deep Creek in Section 26 (Spath 2001). <br />C~; <br />The objective ofthis cultural resource inventory was to locate and record any cultural resources that <br />might occur within the azea of potential effect (APE) of the proposed project, and to provide <br />`' recommendations of eligibility to the National Register of Historic Places (Register). Management <br />~;>,-, recommendations for treatment of any discovered resources were to be made in accordance with their <br />~;~ <br />~"'' recommended Register evaluations and potential impacts. <br />f;ja AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT <br />',~~ The project area is about eight miles east of Paonia, Colorado, and three miles south of the North <br />Fork Gunnison River. This azea is in the western foothills of the West Elk Mountains. Local <br />topography is dominated by small mesas, steep-sided ridges, and deeply incised drainages. Project <br />.elevations range from about 7,350 feet above sea level in the floor of Deep Creek and Sylvester <br />~''~ Gulch to 8,290 on the ridgecrest in the northwest quarter of Section 35. Slopes are steep inmost of <br />the project azea, typically in excess of 60% grade. <br />F~;=, <br />Soils in the survey azea aze light brown to brown residual medium fine loamy sands or sandy clay <br />loamy with many boulders and bedrock outcrops. The soil is typically shallow and poorly <br />1;;;++ <br />f?;; consolidated, except in small azeas of canyon floors. Local bedrock is predominantly sandstones and <br />~,_ <br />MtnCoalWestElkPanelsl6-17-17SCult(210-50)rpt.doc - 1~- - 10/29/2001 <br />~' <br />