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<br />Area Specified by U.S.G.S. as Natural Wetlands <br />* According to the attached National Wetlands Inventory from the United States Department of the Interior, the <br />canyon more commonly known as Peck's Canyon is listed as a natural wetland, with a Palustrine ecological <br />system. <br />* According to the local branch of the Army Corps of Engineers, who aze the governing office required to issue <br />a permit before mining in a wetland azea, Siloam Stone is not required to obtain this permit unless it is mining <br />more than 1/3 of an acre and unless it is mining from the streambed. Therefore, since according to Mr. Ferd <br />Mueller of Siloam Stone, the operators plan to take their heavy equipment to the lip of the canyon and mine from <br />the top down, they are not required to get a permit for mining this wetland area from the Army Coprs of <br />Engineers. <br />* The recommendation by the staff of the State Minerals and Geology Board for a state permit is that the permit <br />be issued to Siloam Stone with a condition that no slab or quarry mining will be permitted within 200 feet of <br />either side of the waterway through Peck's Canyon until that time that Siloam Stone obtain a hydrology survey, <br />and that survey is approved by the State Minerals and Geology Board. This affords the canyon area with no <br />special protection for surface mining and for brining heavy equipment onto the rim of the canyon to pull up <br />stone. When Kelly Park questioned officials at the pre-hearing conferende of the State Minerals and Geology <br />Board on Friday, Feb. 23rd, as to what qualifications are required of the person or company doing the hydrology <br />survey, and hired by Siloam Stone, they indicated that there were no qualifications listed by the state for a person <br />doing this survey. <br />* Also, at the above mentioned State Minerals and Geology meeting Mrs. Park, a landowner in Section 36, did <br />request of the board that they allow her to hire a hydrologist and submit a survey of the effect of mining on the <br />waterflow, wildlife, flora, etc. of the area, to be submitted at the final hearing for the state permit. This request <br />was denied. <br />* In addition to being a natural wetland, Peck's Canyon does provide drinking water for area wildlife, as many of <br />the pools in the canyon are full year-round. Any mining activity in the area, including surface mining and heavy <br />equipment, would certainly scare any wildlife away and possibly damage their water source. <br />