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Compliance and Related Information) and Section 2.04.10 (Vegetation Information), respectively. <br />Some hunting of upland game birds may occur on the proposed permit and study areas (see <br />Section 2.04.11, Fish and Wildlife Resources Information). <br />Because of the proximity of the site to the town of Nucla, a small amount of residential use <br />(outside of the farmsteads) has occurred in the northeast and southeast portions of the proposed <br />permit area. Four homesites occur in these areas and range from mobile homes to traditional <br />penmmanently located homes. Within the study area, three additional residences also occur, all on <br />the east side of the study area. Though residential would be one of the highest and best uses of <br />the land, the present status of the local economy most probably precludes any additional <br />residential expansion in the area. <br />There has been no surface or underground mining activity within the proposed permit or study <br />areas. !n addition to the reclaimed New Horizon 1 surface coal mine northwest of the mine <br />expansion area, two underground coal mines adjacent to the study area were operated by local <br />individuals in the past. The abandoned Independence or Oberding Mine is located about 1,300 <br />feet north of the study area in the NE'/,SW/a Section 31 (T47N R15Wj. This mine covers <br />approximately 15 acres underground and operated during the 1920's and 1930's, though there is <br />evidence that some activity occurred as late as the early 1960's. The abandoned Nix Mine is <br />located in the NE%+SE'/<, Section 36 (T47N R16W). This mine operated until about 1926 and <br />covers about seven acres of underground workings. Both operations mined the lower Dakota <br />seams and appear to have been involved only in local coal sales. <br />The land use within the permit and study areas for the proposed New Horizon 2 Mine expansion <br />is predominantly agriculture using irrigation. Areas of non-irrigated sagebrush rangeland occur <br />as scattered remnants and are used for livestock grazing. Irrigation has allowed for a higher and <br />better land use to be attained than if natural precipitation was relied on for agricultural use. With <br />the latter, only grazing of rangeland by livestock (at low stocking rates) and occasional use of <br />wood products from the pinyon juniper stands would be attainable. <br />For further background information on land use, the reviewer is directed to Section 2.03 (Legal, <br />Financial, Compliance and Related Infommation); Section 2.04.4 (Cultural and Historic Resources <br />(REVISED 3-29-961 2.04.3-$ <br />