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• SECTION 2.04.11 <br />FISH AND WILDLIFE RESOURCES INFORMATION <br />Western Fuels Colorado, A Limited Liability Company (WFC) is revising Permit No. C-81-008. <br />WFC's New Horizon 1 & 2 Mine is the old Peabody Coal Company Nucla & Nucla East Mine which <br />operated underthe same permit. Peabody performed detailed wildlife studies atthe New Horizon <br />1 & 2 mine areas (formerly called the Nucla and Nucla East mine areas respectively). Ratherthan <br />duplicate large quantities of wildlife data, WFC refers the reader to the original Peabody permit <br />application: VolumeD-Tab 11. Whenareferenceismadetoatable,chart,appendixorothertypes <br />of data sources in the Peabody documents, the word "Peabody" will immediately precede the <br />reference. <br />Introduction <br />Wildlife baseline studies were conducted on properties associated with WFC's proposed New <br />Horizon 2 Mine. These studies were conducted during 1987 and early 1988. The majority of the <br />baseline studies were conducted by Peabody Coal Company personnel. However, Peabody <br />retained Cedar Creek Associates, Inc. to conduct a prairie dog and black-footed ferret survey in <br />August 1987. The approximately 630 acre study area covers substantially more acreage than the <br />proposed permit area in anticipation of future mine expansion to the west. The study area is used <br />primarily forvarious types of agricultural production with irrigated hay, pasture, and crops providing <br />the basis for this production. These studies augment the original baseline work conducted by <br />Mariah Associates, Inc., for Peabody as reported in Peabody Volume 6, Tab 11. <br />The purpose of the baseline wildlife studies was to quantify the wildlife populations, habitats, and <br />habitat use by the wildlife groups occurring in the study area. From this information, mining related <br />impacts can be assessed. <br />In 1999, an amendmentarea westand north ofthe original permitareawas added. Sincethelands <br />added were almost identical in land use to that of the study area of 1987 and 1988, no additional <br />studies were conducted. A revised Map 2.04.11 shows the existing land uses within YZ mile of the <br />amendment area boundary. Irrigated pasture is primarily the pre-mining and post-mining land use. <br />Irrigated pasture was not analyzed in the original studies due its limited wildlife use. The 1999 <br />amendment disturbed area does contain 67.0 acres of dryland pasture consisting of some <br />sagebrush but all of this area has been highly disturbed through ranch/farm activity. Most if not all <br />of the palatable and desirable species have been removed, therefore, these areas are notvaluable <br />to wildlife. The amendment area avoids both Tuttle and Calamity Draw, which does provide water, <br />(REVISED 6/27/01) 2.04,11-1 <br />