PERMFILE50018

• Permit No: C1981038A
• IBM Index Class Name: Permit File
• Doc Date: 8/16/2004
• Section_Exhibit Name: Archaeology Appendix
• Media Type: D
• Archive: Yes

• Introduction
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At the request of Bowie Resources, Ltd. (as represented by J.E. Stover and
Associates), the Uncompahgre Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and
the Office of Surface Mining, a Class III cultural resource inventory of approximately 1520
acres of BLM administered land (190 acres), and lands owned by Bowie Resources (1330)
was conducted by Curtis Martin (Principal Investigator), Jim Conner, and Nicole Darnell of
Grand River Institute (GRI). Files searches were conducted through the BLM and the Office
of Archaeology and Historic Preservation. Field work was performed between the 23'~ and
30'" of July 2004.
The survey was done to meet requirements of National Historic Preservation Act (as
amended in 1992), the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, and Article 80.1
of the Colorado Revised Statutes. These laws are concerned with the identification,
evaluation, and protection of fragile, non-renewable evidences of human activity, occupation,
and endeavor reflected in districts, sites, structures, artifacts, objects, ruins, works of art,
azchitecture, and natural features that were of importance in human events. Such resources
tend to be localized and highly sensitive to disturbance.
Accordingly, the purposes of the inventory were to conduct an intensive
archaeological survey of areas potentially subject to direct impact from the proposed coal
mining operations; to identify and accurately locate archaeological sites and/or districts and
isolated finds; to evaluate these surface fords for inclusion on the National Register of
Historic Places (NRHP); to determine the potential effect of the mining activities on all
NRHP-eligible resources; and to make recommendations for the mitigation of any adverse
effects on those cultural resources.
Location of the Project Anew
The single block study area lies north of the town of Paonia, in Delta County,
Colorado. The project is located in T. 13 S., R. 91 W., Sections 5, 6, 7, 8 and 17, 6th P.M.
(Figure 1). The BLM portion of the area is a block of approximately 190 acres located in the
west half of Section 5.
Environment
The study area lies off the southeast corner of Grand Mesa, an 11,000-foot high, flat-
topped mountain capped by basalt flows of late Miocene and eazly Pliocene age ca. 10
million years old (Young and Young 1968). Cretaceous-age Mesaverde Formation
sandstones and coal-bearing rocks form the bedrock of the study area.
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