GENERAL36316

• Permit No: C1994082
• IBM Index Class Name: General Documents
• Doc Date: 11/1/2006
• Doc Name: 2006 CMA Reclamation Award Nomination
• From: Mike Boulay
• To: Sandy Brown
• Permit Index Doc Type: General Correspondence
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

STATE OF COLORADO
DIVISION OF RECLAMATION, MINING AND SAFETY
Department of Natural Resources
1313 Sherman St., Room 215
Denver, Colorado 80203 C O L D RA D O
Phone: [phone] DIVISION O F
RECLAMATION
FAX: [phone] MINING
- &-
SAFETY
INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM Rill Owens
DIVISION OF RECLAMATION, MINING, AND SAFETY Governor
Russell George
Executive Director
Ronald W. Cattany
Division Director
TO: Sandy Brown Natural Resource Trustee
FROM: Mike Boulay ~~~
DATE: November 1, 2006
SUBJECT: Seneca Coal Company (SCC), toast Mine (Permit No. C-94-082),
CMA Reclamation Award Nomination
I am nominating the toast Mine located near Hayden, Colorado for a Colorado Mining
Association Award in the category of Large Surface Mine. I would like to nominate the
toast Mine primarily for their substantial progress made in their overall reclamation
program in the past yeaz since mining ceased in January 2006. The toast Mine area
contains 846 disturbed acres, and as of October 2006, 674 acres have been backfilled and
graded; 605 acres topsoiled; and 571 acres reseeded. A highlight of the toast Mine
reclamation is the south Wolf Creek Pit azea where experimental revegetation practices
have been implemented in the recent field season as described below.
SCC has incorporated a lot of the revegetation practices that were initiated through
experimentation and/or trial and error at the nearby Seneca II-W Mine, including on-site
aspen sapling "harvest" and transplanting, location of tall shrub and aspen plantings in
snow accumulation areas, drip irrigation for establishment of aspen and tall shrubs, deep
soil replacement (4 feet) for aspen plantings, inclusion of big sagebrush in standazd
upland seed mixes, combined seedling plantings and shrub/forb seedings within lazge elk
fenced exclosures, use of weed barrier fabric in seedling plantings, etc. They have
incorporated several permanent stock ponds, including one pond immediately adjacent to
a large undisturbed aspen stand that should be an ideal watering site for deer and elk.
The large stand of aspen was left in place as forethought during mining. Given the
relatively limited extent of disturbance at toast, with undisturbed stands of mountain
shrub and aspen left intact among and adjacent to the various disturbed areas, and the
open reclamation azeas further broken up by the intensive woody plant establishment
sites, I really believe this is a site where habitat for vazious wildlife species, including
mule deer, elk, and especially sharptail grouse will be significantly improved over the
pre-mine condition.
Office of Office of
Mined Land Reclamation Active and Inactive Mines