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Plan to delineate important habitat components, specifically higher density pinyon-juniper stands, prior to surface-disturbing activities in a mining panel. Unavoidable adverse modification of these stands or habitats would be subject of specialized reclamation techniques that would accelerate restoration of former woodland character, including planting tubelings or transplanting young regenerative growth from adjacent BLM chainings. An ancillary goal of the Wildlife Mitigation Plan will be to identify and minimize the loss of ponderosa pine stands and individuals within the mining panels, particularly large individuals that are reproducing. Ponderosa pine is also specifically addressed in the Reclamation Plan. Specific mitigation measures will include developing a specialized protocol for handling Thirteenmile Tongue soils that support the ponderosa pine stands (as well as two federally listed plant species) in order to salvage these soils and the plants that inhabit them. In addition, the Reclamation Plan states that young ponderosa pine trees removed by disturbance would be replaced in the final rehabilitation only by saplings grown from parent stock occurring at the Piceance Site. The BLM Draft E[S specifically addresses the Ponderosa Pine Remnant Vegetation Association (RVA) that occurs in the 25-30 year mining panel at the Piceance Site, stating that "all effort should be placed on avoidance of the trees and the Thirteenmile Creek Tongue formation." As required by the BLM's resource management plan for the White River Resource Area, No Surface Occupancy (NSO) stipulations would apply to the RVA, and all surface disturbing activities would be restricted. Exceptions, modifications, or waivers to the NSO stipulations are allowed on asite-specific basis. As such and for DMG's purposes, the Ponderosa Pine RVA should be considered a zone of restricted activity but not an absolute zone of no disturbance. e) The Wildlife Mitigation Plan addresses protection of nesting raptors at the Piceance Site. As indicated in the Wildlife Mitigation Plan, all raptor surveys will be completed during the first full raptor nesting season prior to the anticipated commencement of solution mining operations in each mining panel, i.e., prior to any new land disturbance. Nest surveys will be completed by qualified BLM-approved personnel during timeframes and at intensity levels agreed on by the BLM. Survey results will be furnished to the BLM by September 1 of the survey year. Standard BLM NSO and Timing Limitation (TL) stipulations will apply to any active nest discovered within the mining panel. These stipulations are defined in the Wildlife Mitigation Plan. [f a previously unknown active nest is discovered during initial construction activities in any mining panel, work will cease within the buffer zones defined for the NSO and TL stipulations, as appropriate. The i i] wpqur.., nn.a~M,. w.o..~ 8 Y,nMI:uM }drain Mnw~b ~~, .Ynwpn sda LLI'.