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<br />months, elk remain at higher elevations in the Williams Fork mountains to the <br />east of the permit area. Blue grouse, sharptail grouse, and sage grouse are <br />all residents or occasional residents of the permit area. <br />Description of the Operation and Pclamation Plans <br />3ql y69~ <br />Approximately 10,~f acres comprise the proposed permit area. Of this, x;856' <br />acres of disturbance have been proposed by the end of this permit term. <br />During the years 1988-1992 approximately 1,035 acres will be disturbed and <br />1,207 acres reclaimed. The increased reclaimed acreage results from <br />reclamation of areas of existing disturbance. Coal will be removed at a <br />maximum rate of 2.7 million tons per year until the year 1989, when production <br />will begin tapering off for the remaining life of the mine (until 2013). The <br />projected life of mine production of coal will he a maximum of 74 million <br />tons. The projected life of mine from this date is twenty five years. <br />Coal will be removed at the Trapper Mine using area strip mining methods, by <br />dragline. Mining will occur along strips parallel to the downhill dip of the <br />coal seam; each pit cut being adjacent and parallel to the previous one. when <br />more than one seam is recovered in a pit, partings are removed by dozer, ~r <br />backhoe, or similar equipment if thin; or by dragline, if thick. <br />Under this approved plan there will be five pits active during various times <br />through the five-year period; the "A", or Ashmore Pit, the "B" or Browning <br />Pit; the "C" or Colt Pit; the "D" or Derringer Pit; and the "E" or Enfield <br />Pit. The Band C Pits are the westernmost pits. Moving to the east the D Pit <br />is the longest in length (4,500-6,000'). Mining in the D pit progresses <br />toward the east. The E Pit is the easternmost pit and is of intermediate <br />length relative to the other pits. It is being mined from east to west and <br />will eventually merge with the D Pit. The Ashmore Pit is to the north of both <br />the D and E Pits. It is the shortest pit approximately 1800 feet, and has the <br />shortest cycle time. It is the most rapidly advancing pit of the three and is <br />moving from west to east. It will continue progressing east and to the north <br />of the E Pit. <br />Prior to disturbance, and in advance of the pits, brush is cleared and topsoil <br />is removed and salvaged. Topsoil is stockpiled only if a replacement area is <br />not available in the area. If stockpiled, topsoil is seeded for protection. <br />After topsoil removal, the overburden is drilled and blasted in advance of the <br />pit. Overburden is then stripped by draglines, scrapers or bulldozers. Due <br />to the nature of the overburden after it has been blasted and removed from the <br />pit, the material occupies approximately 25% more volume than in its original <br />condition. When replaced and regraded, the result will be that the topography <br />of the reclaimed surface will he slightly higher than the original surface !an <br />average of 12 feet). <br />After removal of all coal seams which can economically be recovered, the pits <br />are backfilled and graded by the dragline and dozers. The dragline creates <br />spoil ridges by dumping backfill material from the pit being opened into the <br />mined out pit. Dozers and graders then smooth the spoil ridges and blend them <br />into the existing topography. <br />-9- <br />