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Plan has been finalized in consultation with the BLM and the CDOW (Steigers Corporation, April 1999). Both plans were provided to DMG by letter dated April 16, 1999. The reclamation goals, objectives, and methods are consistent between the two documents, and the Wildlife Mitigation Plan provides additional detail on specific reclamation activities for enhancement of mule deer wintering range and other associated wildlife habitat. The issues raised in this comment are addressed in several places in the Reclamation Plan and the Wildlife Mitigation Plan. Development of the Wildlife Mitigation Plan placed emphasis on the establishment of woody forage for mule deer browse. American Soda, the BLM, and the CDOW have agreed that up to 20 percent of the area requiring reclamation will be specifically dedicated to providing desirable accessions or forms of woody browse species appropriate for mule deer wintering range and other associated wildlife habitat. Reclamation species of choice within these areas would be Wyoming big sagebrush and antelope bitterbrush, with the two species represented about equally. Within these areas, the ultimate goal would be to establish 15 to 20 percent canopy cover of desired shrubs at maturity. Consistent with these goals, composition and density of shrubs to be established in the mining panels and the means used to evaluate progress toward established goals during early stages of shrub development will be determined cooperatively with the BLM and the CDOW in the development of periodic work plans. The Reclamation Plan and the Wildlife Mitigation Plan both acknowledge the challenge of successfully establishing shrubs for wildlife habitat in the presence of highly competitive grasses. if seeded, shrubs such as sagebrush, bitterbrush, and others will likely need to be applied separately and in geographically separate portions of the mining panels in order to minimize competition from more aggressive species and thereby optimize shrub establishment. If grazing by deer or other factors hinder the establishment of desirable woody species, tubelings or larger transplants will be planted in those areas where soil and moisture conditions are suitable for their establishment. It should be pointed out that, in the extensive consultation on this aspect of the Wildlife Mitigation Plan, there was no intention expressed of specifying in detail the methods by which the mule deer wintering range enhancements would be accomplished, such as the DMG suggests in its Item (i) of this comment. The Wildlife Mitigation Plan and the Reclamation Plan both provide operational latitude to meet the objectives of all agencies involved in reclamation, including BLM, the CDOW, and the DMG. As described in most detail in the Wildlife Mitigation Plan, the intention is that specific work plans will be developed on a periodic basis as individual mining panels are closed. The work plans will provide the details for reclamation within the mining panel and for additional ~ ~} Apyl.(.~.n AygyMY p..~~ 5 LnYn GuY~ Y Wum Mmtl. Amt Arrwr~>W LLf