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e <br />ESPEY, HUSTON 8 ASSOCIATES, INC. <br />• <br />3.0 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION <br />3.1 PAST AND PRESENT USES OF MINE PLAN AREA <br />Past land uses of the mine plan azea include ranching, homesteading, <br />coal mining, and wildlife habitat, with some earlier use. by Indians (see Archaeo- <br />logical, Cultural and Historic Resources, Chapter E of this application). <br />Existing Iaad uses include coal mining, transportation via State High- <br />way 13/789, electrical power and telephone transmission lines, a natural gas <br />distribution pipeline, livestock grazing of sheep, cattle and horses, native hay <br />production and wildlife habitat (see Exhibit D-1). <br />3.2 CONDITION OF LAND <br />• The land condition will not change appreciably from the land uses listed <br />in 3.1. Coal mining will intensify and transportation impacts will be mitigated by <br />road surfacing, construction of acceleration-deceleration lanes and eventual coal <br />haulage off of the highway. Some transmission lines and the gas pipeline may have <br />to be relocated. Some azeas will be fenced and undisturbed portions of fenced azeas <br />will improve for wildlife habitat by not allowing livestock grazing. Surface <br />disturbed azeas will reduce some native hay production and wildlife habitat. <br />The condition of the land which will be affected by surface operations <br />and facilities within the proposed permit azea is not good. The primary non-coal <br />land use is livestock grazing for cattle, sheep and horses. A severe infestation of <br />leafy spurge and Canada thistle, both noxious to livestock and wildlife, has occurred <br />in recent years in undisturbed as well as disturbed azeas of the Curtis Creek <br />drainage. &i July, 1979, one of the surface owners (Northern No. 1 (FF-Seam) Mine <br />Lease) contracted with a weed extermination firm to spray vast areas with Picloram <br />(Tordon) in an attempt control the spurge. Physical eradication is not feasible <br /> <br />D-3 <br />