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~/j, . <br />• III IIIIIIIIIIIII III ~ ~- -~~ <br />STATE OF COLORADO <br />- Bill Owens, Governor ~~p~ <br />DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES ~' ~ <br />~RoM: DIVISION OF WILDLIFE ~O ~ ~~~°(~, <br />AN EQUAL OPPORTt1MlY FAIPLOYER ~!O <br />John W. Mumma, Director x~ / W ~ ~~ I~ ~ ~ ~ OF <br />6060 Broadway I ~ A'te' e : En ~ ~,~~-~ j m.-~- p'C <br />Denver, Colorado 80216 ~pC . I'~ <br />Telephone: (303)297-1192 C®~~~~ ,7,~_~ ~ p ~LV~ <br />For Wildlrfe- <br />West Region Service Center For People <br />71 I Independen[ Avenue <br />Grand Junction, CO 81505 RECEIVED <br />970-255.6100 <br />MAR 15 1999 ~/ <br />Mazch 5, 1999 <br />~iwslon of Minerals 8 Geology <br />Mr. Larry Shults <br />Natural Resource Specialist <br />U.S. Bureau of Land Management <br />White River Resource Area <br />73544 Highway 64 <br />Meeker, CO 81641 <br />Dear Mr. Shults: <br />Thank you for the opportunity to provide comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement ' I <br />(DEIS) for the proposed American Soda sodium solution mine in the Piceance Creek drainage. The <br />Colorado Division of Wildlife (CDOW) has the following comments on the DEIS. <br />The in-situ solution mining process proposed by American Soda in the DEIS appeazs to considerably <br />reduce environmental impacts compazed to open pit or underground mining of sodium resources. <br />Significant impacts to wildlife can still occur, however, due to the importance and/or scarcity of affected <br />habitats and limited populations of some affected wildlife species. Significant impacts to wildlife from <br />the proposed development are expected in fora categories: <br />-degradation of critical mule deer winter range and severe winter range on and azound the Piceance <br />site and displacement of deer from those ranges. These impacts can be partially mitigated through a <br />combination of effective on-site reclamation and revegetation and off-site habitat improvement. <br />-disturbance of breeding and nesting sage grouse, destruction of sage grouse nests and degradation of <br />sage grouse habitat along the pipeline corridor. These impacts can be largely mitigated through <br />timing restrictions and habitat enhancement along the pipeline condor. <br />-direct mortality of migratory birds from hypersaline waters at the Piceance and Pazachute sites. <br />These impacts can be completely avoided by excluding migratory birds from these waters. <br />DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES, Grcg Welcher, Executive Director <br />WILDLIFE COMMISSION, Chuck Lewis, Chairman ~ Mark LeValley, ViceLhairman ~ Bcmard Black, Secretary ~ Rick Enstrom, Member <br />Philip lames, Member ~ Marianna Raftopoulos, Membcr ~ Amold Salazar, Member ~ Robert Shoemaker, Member <br />