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Revised <br />July 28, 1982 <br />2.04.3 General Requirements: Site Description and Land Use Information <br />A map containing all of the land uses existing within the proposed permit <br />area and the areas adjacent to the mining operation can be found on the <br />Land Use Map (Map 1). Although part of the area has been previously <br />mined by underground techniques; the present basic land use within the <br />permit area is rangeland. A few scattered houses and structures can be <br />found within the adjacent area, but the Viking Coal Company controls all <br />Lfie surface rights for mining the coal, and no disturbance to these <br />surface structures is contemplated. The land use designations in the permit <br />and adjacent areas are confirmed by the Huerfano County Land Use Map <br />which was prepared by the Soil Conservation Service, United States <br />Department of Agriculture. <br />As previously stated, another use is found on much of the proposed <br />permit area, yet it has not been included in land use categories as <br />defined under existing Colorado Regulations. This use is "mined land", <br />and it is one of the major land uses within the permit boundary. This <br />land use results from the fact that the permit area includes lands that <br />have been previously subjected to underground coal mining operations, <br />specifically the Midway Mine and the Spring Canyon Mine. In as much as <br />possible, the Viking Coal Company will treat these lands within the <br />meaning of rangeland and therefore will attempt to analyze the pre- <br />mining land use accordingly. A history of all previous underground <br />mining operations and their extent is found under Section 2.04.4, Cultural <br />and Histord.c Resource Information. The mines are shown on Map 1 and <br />an outline of the mined out area given in Figure 2.04.6-1. A summary of <br />old mines is given in Table 2.04.6-1. <br />The areas designated,'. for rangej,~ygd~. are grazed by either horses, sheep, <br />or cattle during all parts of the year. The common grazing period found <br />within the area is for Spring or Fall grazing. No evidence could b§~ <br />found that indicated the land use of rangeland had changed within the <br />preceding five years. <br /> <br />n~,, "!7 <br />