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17 <br />• <br />BLASTING BUFf~"ER <br />The Office of Surface ;4ining is new requiring an assessment of <br />a one mile buffer zone around the perimeter of mining areas. "This <br />assessment requires that an archaeologist evaluate the likelihood <br />of blasting-sensitive sites of being wit}iin the one mile buffer zone. <br />Sites defined as being sensitive to blasting include prehistoric <br />rock shelters, rock art, and standing historic structures. The evalu- <br />ation does not require intensive inventory, but does require an intimate <br />familiarity on the part of the archaeologist with the project surroundings. <br />In the case of the Kerr Coal property, a good deal of the project <br />perimeter was covered by either Powers Elevation or North Park Project <br />Survey. The author was fairly sure no standing historic structures <br />• or rock arc sites were present in the buffer based on his own and other <br />field work on the property. This feeling was confirmed by using a <br />fixed wing aircraft to fly the perimeter of the project. Starling <br />structures and rock faces and shelters are easily visible from the <br />air. The reconnaissance was flown at minimum air speed at approxi- <br />mately 1,000 feet AGL (above ground level). At this elevation, ant <br />hills, fences, and other small features are easily seen. <br />There are no standing historic structures in the project perimeter. <br />Likewise, there are not suitable settings for either rock shelters <br />or rock art sites. <br />CONCLUSIONS <br />Archaeological survey has covered all of the lands within the <br />• Kerr Permit P.rea. A combination of surface survey and aerial re- <br />