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Biological Assessment for DMG Permit Renewals McClane Canyon & Munger Canyon Mines <br />approved the McClane drill site and that portion of the spur road on the McClane permit area by <br />its approval of two minor permit revisions. To the extent possible the spur road followed <br />reclaimed roads within the McClane permit area that had been used for drill site access by prior <br />operators. <br />Disturbance to wildlife and wildlife habitat in the permitted area of surface disturbance and its <br />immediate surroundings includes road dust, noise and vibrations from machinery and heavy <br />equipment, traffic (running 20 hours a day including approximately 50 haul truck trips and 75 <br />passenger vehicle trips), occasional road grading, and water depletions averaging a total of <br />13.39 acre-feet annually from East Salt Creek resulting from, or required for, mine operations <br />Traffic and activity levels at McClane are not expected to increase with the permit renewal. <br />The only anticipated disturbance to wildlife outside the area of permitted surface disturbance <br />and its immediate surroundings in McClane permit area is subsidence following coal extraction <br />from the underground seam. Surface subsidence can manifest as surface tension cracks in soils <br />and bedrock. During subsidence the ground surface lowers gently, with no large-scale changes <br />in relative surface topography. The surface tension cracks, usually less than 10 inches wide, fill <br />with soil and debris over time. <br />A degree of disturbance to wildlife is mitigated by the McClane wildlife protection and control <br />plan (presented in the permit), which sets forth the following wildlife protection measures: <br />• Limited access. Access to mine and surroundings limited to mine employees and <br />authorized visitors. Mine personnel are restricted to areas of operational activity except <br />as necessary to perforrn monitoring or maintenance work. Access is limited to a single <br />point of entry for all mine traffic. Gates and trespass signs are in place. <br />• Speed limit. A posted speed limit of 15 miles per hour is enforced on the access road <br />and in work areas. <br />• Domestic animals. No pets are allowed to roam uncontrolled on the mine property. <br />However, cattle may be present on existing BLM grazing allotments. <br />• Hunting. Hunting is prohibited unless approved by the mine manager. <br />• Special restrictions. Raptor nests, fawning areas, or other areas with unique or important <br />wildlife value identified environmental staff are protected from mine activity with special <br />restrictions, as warranted. Currently, no special restrictions are in place. <br />• Training. New employees are familiarized with special restrictions and regulations <br />specified in the wildlife plan. <br />Direct disturbance to wildlife habitat in most areas of permitted surface disturbance (except pre- <br />existing roads) will be mitigated during mine reclamation. <br />3.2 Munger Canyon Mine Future Permit Renewal No. 5 <br />Munger Canyon Mine (Munger) is a small underground coal mining operation located <br />approximately 19 miles north of the City of Fruita, Colorado, and east of State Highway 139 in <br />the Book Cliffs (Figure 1). Currently, the Munger permit boundary encompasses 1,049 acres, a <br />portion of which is shown on Figure 2. After the pending approval of the Permit Technical <br />Revision TR-20 (incidental permit boundary revision) the Munger permit boundary will <br />encompass 1,023 acres within Sections 27, 28, and 29, all in Township 7 South, Range 102 <br />March 27, 2006 4 Rare Earth Science, LLC <br />