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attraction being the mountain scenery, the large natural hot <br />water pool, skiing, rafting on the Roaring Fork and Colorado <br />Rivers and other outdoor activities such as hiking and <br />hunting. It is identified as an excellent place to live and <br />attracts a high percent of professional and retired people. <br />There is a strong desire by most of the inhabitants to <br />retain the high quality of life aspects of the area. <br />Employment opportunities are limited in the area <br />because there is very little industry and most of the energy <br />production activities such as oil, gas, coal and oil shale <br />are more than 40 miles to the west and northwest. It is, <br />therefore, highly desirable to retain this limestone operation <br />with its 8 full time and 11 part time employees in the area. <br />In addition, the availability of the relatively inexpensive, <br />locally quarried limestone rockdust helps make the Mid-Continent <br />Resources Coal Basin coal mining operation economically feasible. <br />The $13,000,000 annual local payroll of this mining operation <br />is certainly an important economic factor in the area. <br />12. Land Uses (wilderness, mineral resources, <br />alluvial valleys, livestock grazing, transportation, <br />residential) <br />The public lands on which quarry sites P and 2 <br />would be located are administered by the Bureau of Land <br />Management. Site 3 is astride the boundary between BLM and <br />Forest Service administered land, while site 4 is on private <br />land. <br />The historic uses of the area have been wildlife, <br />mineral production and recreation. Since the proposal to <br />open a new limestone quarry in the area will replace one <br />that has been in existance for at least 25 years, no degrada- <br />tion of current land uses will occur. <br />