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<br /> <br />Irretrieveable committment to develop... Permanent loss of... wildlife habitat. <br />We are particularly concerned about the perceived negative impacts the <br />USFWS implies will accompany the mining of this tract. <br />The Little Middle Creek Tract and the issue of irreversible and <br />irretrievable wildlife habitat and population losses were specifically raised in <br />the Green River-Hams fork Final Environmental Impact Statement, Coal, Volume II, <br />Letter 11 and Issue 7-37, by the Director of the Colorado Division of Wildlife <br />wherein he stated, "We believe that the sort of wildlife habitat losses <br />indicated in the document and the wildlife population dependent on them, are <br />irreversible and irretrievable." The response given was; <br />"Under OSM regulations, disturbed habitats will be reclaimed. Although <br />land use changes are possible, we believe much mined land will remain <br />available to wildlife and will not be irreversibly or irretrievably lost." <br />This document also stated that the disturbed areas would be utilized by <br />wildlife and "that rodents, birds, and predators often rapidly repopulate areas <br />reclaimed to grass.... Aspen, mountain shrub, and riparian habitats would <br />require 20 years to reclaim." <br />The U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of Surface Mining, Final <br />Environmental Statement, Permanent Regulatory Program Implementing Section <br />501(b) of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977, document OSM- <br />EIS-1, on page BIII-72 in describing the Wildlife Impacts of the Permanent <br />Regulatory Program, reported that with the exceptions of approved post-mining <br />impoundments and roads (neither of which are associated with the Little Middle <br />Creek Tract) impacts to wildlife "will be short term, with the lands being <br />reclaimed after mining". <br />3 <br /> <br />