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<br />Abstract <br />Metcalf Archaeological Consultants, Inc., was contracted by <br />Mountain Coal Company, a subsidiary of ARCO Coal Company, to <br />conduct intensive cultural resource inventories of eleven proposed <br />core drilling locations, three staging areas or alternate <br />locations, acid five access improvement corridors, in the Gunnison <br />National Forest, Gunnison County, Colorado. These locations are <br />situated in portions of sections 11, 15, 22, 23, 26-30, and 35, <br />Township 13 South, Range 90 West. The cultural resource <br />inventories were undertaken to locate and evaluate any cultural <br />resources that might be affected by the proposed undertaking to <br />comply with federal laws and regulations regarding the <br />consideration and treatment of cultural resources. An average of <br />approximately one acre was surveyed for each of the drill <br />locations and staging areas, and 2.2 miles of 100 foot wide <br />corridor, or 26 acres, was surveyed for access improvements. <br />Extent of coverage varied at individual sites in response to <br />terrain features. Vegetation was predominantly scrub oak and <br />serviceberry with an open grassy understory, providing good <br />visibility. No cultural resource were found and cultural resource <br />clearance is recommended. <br />Introduction <br />Mountain Caal Company proposes a 1994 program of exploratory drilling on <br />US Forest Service lands to aid in planning expansion of its West Elk Mine. <br />This drilling program will supplement the 1993 drilling program, part of which <br />covered areas close to the currently proposed drilling program (cf. Spxth <br />1993). The drilling program involves drilling for solid cores to evaluate the <br />depth and quality of the coal seams in the selected locations: The drilling <br />activity is expected to effect less than one acre at each location, and to <br />involve clearing of heavy brush for the drill rig and support vehicles. In <br />some cases, where level surface is limited, some of the support vehicles will <br />be parked at nearby "staging" areas. Access improvements will generally be <br />the minimum necessary to get the drilling equipment to the site and set up. <br />These improvements will include clearing of dense brush and overhanging <br />branches along the access corridor, localized leveling and grading, and <br />improvement of drainage crossings. Segments of road that have been improved <br />by cutting or grading will also be stabilized by erosion control measures such <br />as water bars. <br />The currently proposed drilling program will take place predominantly on <br />federal surface administered by the US Forest Service, and will involve <br />federal minerals administered by the Bureau of Land Management. Access <br />corridors also include areas of privately owned surface. The cultural <br />resource inventory, conducted on June 7 by Carl Spi3th of Metcalf <br />Archaeological Consultants, Inc., included eleven proposed drill sites, two of <br />which (J-Alternate and M-Alternate) are alternate locations to previously <br />surveyed drilling locations, three staging areas close to drilling locations, <br />and approximately 2.2 miles of access corridor. A total of approximately 40 <br />acres was surveyed for all of these locations and access corridors. Six of <br />