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THREATENED AND ENDANGERED SPECIES <br />AND SENSITIVE SPECIES SURVEY REPORT <br />Oxbow Elk Creek Mine Exploration Project <br />On Lands Managed by <br />The Bureau of Land Management <br />Gunnison and Delta Counties, Colorado <br />INTRODUCTION <br />Oxbow Mining Company (Oxbow) has proposed the expansion or further delineation of coal <br />resources of its Elk Creek subsurface coal mine near Paonia, Colorado in portions of Gunnison <br />and Delta Counties. In support of this proposal, Oxbow plans to drill seven test wells to obtain <br />core samples of coal quantity and quality evaluations within the project azea. The project area <br />includes the Southeast Elk Creek Exploration License Area within BLM-administrative land that <br />is part of a proposed permit to Oxbow. The proposed mine expansion will be based upon the <br />results of the coal core testing program. To support the permitting process for these wells, O&G <br />Environmental Consulting, LLC (O&G) biologists completed field surveys for federal-listed <br />threatened and endangered species and BLM sensitive species within one-half mile around each <br />well site and proposed access road improvements. <br />O&G also completed field surveys of four proposed Gob Vent Bore-holes (GVB) to drain <br />methane from active mining areas. The proposed GVW wells will require similar surface <br />disturbances and access roads as the test wells. <br />LOCATION <br />The 10 of the 11 proposed well sites are located on public lands administered by the Department <br />of Interior Bureau of Land Management (BLM} Uncompahgre Field Office (TJFO) in Township <br />13 South, Ranges 90 and 91 West, Delta and Gunnison Counties, Colorado. Well Site Number <br />Table T Legal Descriptions of Well Sites located in BLM Lands <br />Well Site No. County Ownership Legal Description <br />(Section, Township, Range) <br />ECM-04-17 Gunnison BLM Section 4, Townshi 13 South, Ran e 90 West <br />ECM-04-22 Delta BLM Section 2, Townshi 13 South, Ran e 91 West <br />ECM-04-25 Gunnison BLM Section 3, Townshi 13 South, Ran e 90 West <br />ECM-04-40 Delta BLM Section 12, Townshi 13 South, Ran e 91 West <br />ECM-04-41 Delta BLM Section 12, Townshi 13 South, Ran e 91 West <br />ECM-04-42 Delta BLM Section 2, Townshi 13 South, Ran e 91 West <br />ECM-OS-29 Gunnison BLM Section 3, Townshi 13 South, Ran e 90 West <br />GVB LW3-Ol Gunnison BLM Section 6, Townshi 13 South, Ran e 90 West <br />GVB LW3-02 Gunnison Private Section 6, Townshi 13 South, Ran e 90 West <br />GVB LW4-Ol Gunnison BLM Section 6, Townshi 13 South, Ran e 90 West <br />GVB LW4-02 Gunnison BLM Section 5, Townshi 13 South, Ran e 90 West <br />Oxbow Elk G<ek Mine Expansion Project TES and Sensieive Species Survry 1 <br />