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<br />INTRODUCTION
<br />Greystone conducted a Class III cultural resource inventory of approximately l03 acres in Gunnison
<br />National Forest. The project azea is located in T13S, R90W, Sections 23, 26, 27, 34, and 36 (Figure
<br />1). The surveys included irregular block azeas for l2 gob venUde-gas boreholes, approximately 2.7
<br />miles of proposed access improvement, and 1.6 miles of above-ground high pressure hose. Two
<br />areas are additional areas of survey for previous reported gob venUde-gas boreholes SOIvI-124 and
<br />96-27-1. This inventory was completed for West Elk Mine, Somerset, Colorado.
<br />This project involved federal surface administered by the US Forest Service, West Zone, Grand
<br />f'i, Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests. In accordance with policies and regulations
<br />~, implementing Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (Public Law 89-666), as
<br />amended, the cultural resource inventory was completed to locate, identify, and evaluate any cultural
<br />!"' resources that might be affected by the proposed undertaking. The inventory vas completed by
<br />~. Greystone archaeologist Carl Spath, PhD, and field technician Andrew Weil on 12, li, and 28 June
<br />2001 under the stipulations of US Forest Service Region 2 Special Use Permit #R97003. All field
<br />documentation, original records, and copies of this report are on file at the Greystone office in
<br />Greenwood Village, Colorado.
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<br />The proposed project consists of ten locations, and two alternate locations for proposed gob vent/de-
<br />gas boreholes,. improvement of portions of access roads to these locations, and the corridor for an
<br />above-ground high pressure hose. The proposed facilities will serve longwall panels 14, 16, 16, and
<br />17 of the West Elk Mine. Based on past gob venUde-gas boreholes in for this mine, the typical area
<br />of surface disturbance at each location will be approximately 120 feet by 130 feet. Typically all level
<br />to moderately sloping terrain around the staked borehole location up to approximately 10 acres was
<br />inspected for the presence'of cultural resources. Access improvements either followed an existing
<br />ATV trail or reclaimed road, or were flagged. An area seven to ten meters to either side of the
<br />flagged line or existing corridor was inspected. For calculating acres surveyed, a corridor width of
<br />20 meters (66 feet) was used. For the above-ground high pressure hose, a corridor approximately 15
<br />meters wide was inspected.
<br />The objective of this cultural resource inventory was to locate and record any cultural resources that
<br />might occur within the area of potential effect (APE) of the proposed project and to provide
<br />recommendations ofeligibility to the National Register of Historic Places (Register). Management
<br />recommendations for treatment ofany discovered resources were to be made in accordance with their
<br />recommended Register evaluations and potential impacts.
<br />AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT
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<br />The project azea is composed often proposed locations (BBB, 96-27-1, RAV-2, RAV-8, RAV-10,
<br />SOM-21, SOM-60, SOM-63, SOM-124, and SOM-l26) and two alternate locations (RAV-8 Alt A,
<br />and RAV-8 Alt B), and associated access improvements. An additional location (AAA) was
<br />adequately surveyed in 1998, and was not revisited. Several of these locations are at or very near
<br />locations previously used for stratigraphic cores. At RAV-10, drilling and cleanup activities were
<br />Weste6; De~gu Vtnts (2I01l8)Juty.doc
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