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Mr. Carl Mount <br />Division oJMinerals and Geology <br />May 20, ZOOS <br />Page 3 of 9 <br />3.1.7 Groundwater <br />The operator has complied with applicable groundwater quality standazds in effect during mining <br />operations and reclamation activities at the site. <br />3.1.8 Wildlife <br />The area mined was not considered prime wildlife habitat, however, all aspects of mining and <br />reclamation took into account the safety and protection of wildlife. <br />Mining and reclamation activities did not disturb existing wildlife species that require <br />special consideration on or near the site. ' <br />Wildlife habitat creation was not a part of the reclamation plan. <br />3.1.9 Topsoiling <br />Topsoil was removed and segregated from other spoil material during the mining operation. The <br />topsoil was removed, stockpiled for a short period of time, and then replaced evenly over backfill <br />material during the concurrent reclamation activities. <br />• Since reclamation was performed concurrent with mining operations, topsoil was <br />replaced in a short enough time period to avoid deterioration. <br />• Woody vegetation was not present within the affected areas prior to excavation. <br />• Stockpiles were stored and configured to minimize erosion. <br />• Stockpiles were rehandled as little as possible prior to replacement on disturbed areas. <br />• Measures necessary to assure the stability of the replaced topsoil were taken. <br />• Other materials more suitable for vegetation growth were not required. <br />• Topsoil was placed on the affected areas in as even a manner as possible. <br />• Vegetative piles were not created during mining operations or reclamation activities. <br />3.1.10 Revegetation <br />The property was revegetated in Fall 2003 and Spring 2004. The property owner chose to <br />revegetate with pasture grasses to establish a final land use of pastureland. The property has been <br />graded so that all slopes can' be traversed by livestock and accessed by farm machinery. <br />Currently, the vegetation growth is doing well. Pasture grass is well established and appears to <br />have reseeded itself following the 2004 growing season. It appears that initial seeding and <br />additional growth from natural reseeding have produced the necessary vegetative cover to meet <br />reclamation goals. To increase pasture grass density and increase the value of the pastureland, <br />some additional seeding in isolated areas was performed in Spring of 2005. <br />