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• towns of Hayden, Steamboat Springs and Oak Creek (see Northwest <br /> Colorado Coal Bnvironmental Statement, Regional Analysis, page II- <br />93). <br />Increased recreational opportunities are possible for the Twen- <br />tymile Park Area, particularly involving the hunting of deer and <br />elk. Opportunities for improved wildlife habitat within and adja- <br />cent to the permit area following reclamation are feasible, as indi- <br />cated in the discussion under Bule 2.05.6(2). However, the checker <br />board pattern of land ownership in the area tends to diminish the <br />effectiveness of measures employed to improve wildlife habitat. Im- <br />provement of the fisheries potential of the proposed permit area is <br />doubtful, due to the low stream flows during the summer. <br />• <br />The moat viable change in land use on the area prior to mining <br />from an economic standpoint was conversion of some minor acreages of <br />rangeland to pastureland by removing the brush. Conversion of pas- <br />tureland to cropland would also have been feasible on a small pro- <br />portion of the area before disturbance. However, such changes are <br />unlikely since current trends on lands adjacent to the proposed per <br />mit area are for cropland to revert to pastureland. Furthermore, <br />Lands in the mine plan area lack a dependable supply of water for <br />either storage or irrigation. <br />Premining Productivity <br />• According to the Range Site Descriptions prepared by the DSDA - <br />2.04-9 <br />