2006-06-12_REVISION - M1978314 (3)

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Mined Land Reclamation Boazd June 12, 2006 Page 8 • Develop partnership(s) with other property owners in South Routt County to fund and/or implement habitat enhancement/manipulation projects. • Develop partnerships with adjacent property owners in the Five Pines Mesa and Egeria Park area to continue to irrigate adjacent hay meadows including late summer irrigation. • Develop an integrated weed management plan with adjacent property owners to address the spread of noxious weeds on a landscape level to protect native plants necessary for sage-grouse survival. • Provide funds for offsite conservation easements to protect Greater Sage-Grouse habitats in the area. • Provide funding to develop and implement habitat enhancement projects, support implementation of the Northern Eagle/Southern Routt Greater Sage-Grouse Conservation Plan, and support ongoing Greater Sage-Grouse studies. Exh. B at p.6. Unfortunately, King Mountain's final application did not include a~ offsite strategies. As a result, King Mountain's mitigation strategies fall woefully short of meeting those pronounced as necessary by the DOW, particularly in light of King Mountain's request to increase the permitted boundary by 3,400%. Importantly, the USFWS has the ability to monitor, regulate and change the way the Ranches operate, in order to protect the grouse and other wildlife in the area. That could change not only ranching but other land uses and land development in Routt County (and Toponas in particulaz). The Ranch Owners are very concerned about protecting the status of the Sage Grouse because additional declines in its population could result in a threatened or endangered species listing, which in turn could lead to significant land use restrictions for the Ranch Owners and all landowners in the area. Unfortunately, the gravel pit operator has refused to, and has stated that it will not in the future, allow the DOW to enter the mining property in order to evaluate the mining operation's impact on grouse populations and habitat. Moreover, there is a direct correlation between property values in Routt County and the preservation of wildlife. In simple terms, if the Sage Grouse become endangered, or worse, extinct, allowed productive uses of the land i.e., grazing) will decrease. Less grazing could lead to the loss of grazing permits, or, at best, could result in a multi-year environmental review with respect to those permits. Furthermore, tourism related to wildlife and scenic values is critical to Routt County and western Colorado. Accordingly, the Sage Grouse population in Toponas has a cleaz economic impact that is directly related to conservation and property values. b. Conservation and Property Values Egeria Park is a unique area, with minimal traffic, few residential properties, and working ranches that are managed on a landscape scale. The proposed gravel pit expansion site is located three miles east of property on which the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation holds a conservation easement on 960 acres owned by Mr. Luppens in Egeria Park. April I8, 2006 Letter from the Rocky Mou~rtain Elk Foundation, attached hereto as Exhibit C. Likewise, ER Ranch granted a conservation easement on a portion of its property to Colorado Open Lands, which easement \\\DE~29060I0001~285818 v1