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Page 12 <br /> will be provided for these species than has existed on the site for the last several decades <br /> (since mining began during the construction of the Boulder-Denver Turnpike; probably <br /> sometime during the 1950s). <br /> As part of the amendment process, the Division notified Mr. Chuck Gran Pre of the <br /> Colorado Division of Wildlife(DOW) of the proposed amendment. The DOW has not <br /> contacted the Division with any concerns regarding these species. <br /> Comment: "...the City of Boulder is struck by the total disregard for previous reclamation <br /> commitments that the proposed amendment reflects. Substantially lower land grades, <br /> reduced surface water levels, and a demonstrated general lack of concern for impacts <br /> on neighboring land interests all suggest a change in the reclamation goals for the Deepe <br /> Farm Pit from one of wildlife protection and agriculture purposes to reclamation goals <br /> which are more suited to future land development purposes." <br /> "We only hope the Colorado Division of Minerals and Geology(DMG) recognizes that <br /> the credibility of future commitments to mining reclamation standards, and the <br /> willingness of local governments to grant future mining permits, depends on the <br /> reliability of previous reclamation plans." <br /> Response: The City of Boulder appears to express a preference for the currently approved <br /> reclamation plan, which includes 38.1 acres of water surface, as opposed to the <br /> proposed reclamation plan which includes 4.2 acres of water surface. The post-mining <br /> land use under both the current and proposed reclamation plans is wildlife habitat and <br /> general agriculture. <br /> The lower land grades and reduced water surface levels in the proposed reclamation <br /> plan would not affect the operator's ability to achieve the specified post-mining land <br /> uses. A reduction in water surface acreage in the reclamation plan would tend to <br /> enhance general agriculture uses and would provide an increase in terrestrial wildlife <br /> habitat. There would be a commensurate reduction in aquatic life and water fowl <br /> habitat. The Division has made the finding that the revegetation plan proposed in the <br /> amendment is adequate to meet the post-mining land uses selected by the operator. <br /> The City of Boulder raises the issue that the proposed reclamation plan exhibits a <br /> general lack of concern for impacts on neighboring land interests. The creation of <br /> adverse off-site impacts through the implementation of a mining or reclamation plan is <br /> an area under the Division's jurisdiction, and the City of Boulder's specific concerns in <br /> this regard will be analyzed later in this document. <br /> The City of Boulder expresses a concern that the proposed reclamation plan is more <br /> suited to future development of the site than is the current reclamation plan. By <br /> increasing the acreage of land surface while reducing the acreage of water surface within <br />