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For specific information regarding study areas, methods for identification and counting of the <br />vazious wildlife present in the area, see Section 2.04.11 of the permit document. <br />Description of the Operations and Reclamation Plan -Rule 2.05.3 and 2.05.4 <br />Mining at the West Elk underground mine began in 1982. The West Elk Mine lease block <br />consists of mineable coal reserves in six Federal coal leases, one private lease and other fee coal <br />properties. The permit area encompasses approximately 15,638 acres, including PR-10 acreage. <br />Six major coal seams exist on the West Elk Mine property. The seams are identified by letter <br />with the A Seam being the lowermost and the F Seam the uppermost. The intervals between the <br />seams vary from as little as 15 feet to more than 250 feet. <br />The economically minable coal reserves in these leases occur in two of the six seams (the E and <br />B Seams). The B Seam has been mined and the E Seam is planned to be mined in Lease <br />D-044569; the B Seam has been mined in Leases COC-54558 and C-0117192, where mining <br />continues; the plan is to mine the B Seam Lease COC-56447; and the B Seam has also been <br />mined, and further B Seam and E Seam are planned for mining in Lease C-1362. The B-seam <br />will be mined in those portions of Leases COC-56447 and C-1362 that comprise the Box Canyon <br />Permit Revision azea added with PR-08. The West Flatiron permit addition moved the mine into <br />a portion of coal lease COC-67011 for additional resource recovery in the B-seam. The South of <br />Divide permit addition in PR-10 includes the remainder of lease C-1362 and part of MCC's fee <br />lease area. <br />Mountain Coal Company mined in the F Seam from 1982 to 1991 from Lease D-004569 and <br />C-0117192. This mining was only marginally successful. Poor mine roof conditions, sandstone <br />channels, low coal areas, poor coal quality areas, and other unfavorable conditions have <br />negatively affected mining and rendered this seam uneconomic under past and present market <br />conditions. <br />Approximately 180 feet below the F Seam horizon lies the E Seam. Mining plans in the E Seam <br />are presented on Map 51. The E Seam in the west panels of the Apache Rocks Permit Revision <br />area is planned to be mined prior to the $ Seam panels beneath. PR-10 requests approval for <br />mining of the E seam in panels 1 through 9. Mining of the E seam in panels 10, 11, and 12 was <br />approved in a previous revision. MCC will access the E seam in the South of Divide area <br />through their existing F to B seam slopes and will utilize their existing surface facilities near <br />State Highway 133; therefore, no surface facilities or associated surface disturbance aze proposed <br />in PR-10. <br />Approximately 400 feet below the F Seam and 200 feet below the E Seam lies the B coal seam. <br />The minable B Seam contains some azeas of coal, particulazly in Federal Leases C-0117192, <br />COC-54558, and COC-56447, where no minable E Seam exists above the B Seam. Also, in a <br />portion of C-0117192, the F Seam is mined out. In these areas, there is B Seam mineable <br />reserves which, when mined, will not significantly affect the ability to mine the other seams. <br />In April 1989, an application for a technical revision for an incidental boundary change to add <br />35.5 acres to the permit area was submitted. The revision was for access and associated activities <br />35 <br />