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-37- <br />5.3 CUMULATIVE IIdPACTS ON CULTURAL RESOURCES <br />• Cumulative impacts are defined here as those that tend to accumulate <br />over a span of time longer than the actual length of the proposed project. <br />Development of the coal resources of northwestern Colorado will result in <br />increases in population and development in that area of the state. This <br />can have both beneficial and adverse impacts on cultural resources of the <br />area. Greater population density tends to increase interest in the cultural <br />resources of the area and consequently, the reporting of prehistoric and <br />historic sites may increase. The value of this interest can be enhanced <br />by making the general public more aware of the importance of such resources. <br />At the same time, development also destroys cultural resources and valuable <br />information can be lost if the impact on those resources is not mitigated. <br />5.4 BENEFICIAL IMPACTS ON CULTURAL RESOURCES <br />The proposed coal mining operations and construction of the coal <br />haul railroad have made it possible to increase our knowledge of the <br />cultural resources of the study area simply by providing the funds for <br />• the field investigations just completed and the mitigation measures that <br />will be taken. <br />~J <br />