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.- <br />,,a Kr Or ,M1, <br />~ ~ <br />` --~ <br />,o - <br />+~. , ... <br />IN REPLY REFER TO: <br />July 15, 1988 <br />FISH AND WILDLIFE SER' <br />FISH AND WILDLIFE ENHANI <br />COLORADO STATE OFFI <br />529 25'h Road, Suite B-1]3 <br />GRAND JUNCTION, COI.ORADC <br />(303) 293-2'RS <br /> <br />the Interior <br />ICE <br />~MENT <br />E <br />81505 <br />III IIIIIIIIIIIII III <br />TA~~ ~ <br />PRIDEIN~ <br />alnElnca~ <br />~~ <br />~~ <br />~~ <br />~ ~ <br />~ ^ <br />RECEI ~I IG~ <br />Mr. David Berry <br />Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Division <br />1313 Sherman Street, Room 423 <br />Denver, CO 80203 <br />Dear Mr. Berry: <br />Please accept this letter as official U.S. Fish <br />comments on Technical Revision 88-17 for the Yai <br />(Yampa) Twenty-mile Park land use plan. We apps <br />provide our views on this revision. <br />JUL 181988 <br />MINED LAND <br />RECLAMATION D11/1810N <br />d Wildlife Service (Service) <br />Valley Coal Corporation's <br />iate the opportunity to <br />The Service does not oppose Yampa's proposal bu has serious concerns over the <br />request for alteration of postmining land uses rom rangeland to pastureland. <br />Our concerns are not based on resulting functio al vegetation changes per se, <br />but on the precedential nature by which these c anges were justified by Yampa. <br />Reclamation plans for requested land use modifi <br />revision information provided to the Colorado D <br />disconcerting, however, to review the use of an <br />land use to justify, on the one hand, changes f <br />and on the other, use of the definition of past <br />of woody vegetation reclamation. In a letter t <br />of Wiidiife, dated November 25, 1987, Yampa cit <br />aspen, 11% wintering shrub, 23% big sagebrush e <br />pastureland; thereby making the case that pastu <br />represented only ny improved pasture (seeded gr <br />the "land use" to pastureland, Yampa would not, <br />required to reclaim mountain shrub and forest c <br />case, the land within pasture A would sustain a <br />forest/shrub habitats, habitat types which are <br />wildlife populations. <br />The Service agrees with information provided b <br />lack thereof, of land use modifications on big <br />not fully accept the rationale that existing r <br />reproduction (eagles are highly territorial an <br />lands are shared equitably by breeding pairs), <br />land use changes will affect overall nesting s <br />prairie falcons. We do contend, however, that <br /> <br />United States Department <br />ations were not detailed in <br />vision of Wildlife. It was <br />admittedly vague definition of <br />om rangeland to pastureland, <br />reland to justify curtailment <br />Jim Morris, Colorado Division <br />d Pasture A (comprised of 52% <br />c.) as an example of managed <br />elands are not necessarily <br />sses). However, in converting <br />as we understand it, be <br />mmunities. If such is the <br />complete loss of premining <br />xtremely important to local <br />Yampa on the consequences, or <br />ame. Moreover, although we do <br />lamation has maintained eagle <br />it is unlikely that reclaimed <br />e do not believe that such <br />cess of golden eagles or <br />hrubs and forest, notably <br />