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include the long-tailed vole and an occasional northern pocket gopher. Although not observed. <br />the western jumping mouse may occur. This community is used by deer as a loafing area and <br />for protection during winter months. Elk move into these areas during severe winters. <br />Land e <br />Historically, agricultural communities in the Roaring Fork Valley have produced cattle, sheep, <br />and hay. Today, however, sheep production is extremely limited and, on a relative scale. <br />Cattle are now the only significant agricultural commodity exported from the valley. <br />Other land uses in this region are recreation, timber production, and mining. Recreational uses <br />are seasonal and include skiing in winter; hunting in fall; and fishing, camping river rafting, <br />and backpacking in summer. The Roaring Fork Drainage Basin has become a popular location <br />for vacation homes and condominiums, due in part to the skiing, recreation, and tourism which <br />is popular in the area. The loadout area at the North Thompson Creek was rezoned by <br />Garfield County to allow a Planned Unit Development. <br />Upland areas on both sides of the Roaring Fork Valley comprise parts of the White River <br />National Forest. Most of the valley bottoms and sideslopes are under private ownership. The <br />Roaring Fork Valley is a natural geographic corridor between Glenwood Springs, where the <br />Roaring Fork and Colorado Rivers meet, and the town of Aspen, which is directly west of the <br />Continental Divide. Within this corridor, State Highway 82 connects Glenwood Springs and <br />Aspen, which are the county seats of Garfield and Pitkin Counties, respectively. <br />Description of the Operation and Reclamation Plans <br />The general description of the mining operations and facilities have been reviewed by the <br />Division for compliance with the Rules and Regulations. A summary of past mining <br />operations, and the current status of the reclamation plan is presented below. Further details <br />regarding past mining operations and the reclamation plan can be found in Sections 4.3 and <br />4.4, respectively, in Volume I of the permit application. <br />Coal was extracted from two seams in the North Thompson Creek Mines. Mine Portal Nos. 1 <br />and 3 served as access to the A seam and the Anderson seam, respectively. The A seam (Mine <br />No. 1) was mined first by the room-and-pillar method and subsequently by longwalling. The <br />pitch of the longwall is 26 degrees westerly. Eight continuous mining machines were used in <br />the Anderson seam (Mine No. 3). Longwall techniques were not used in Mine No. 3. <br />Coal from both mines was conveyed to a central surge bin and breaker via two elevated <br />conveyor systems. The office area, two coal storage silos, a wash plant, and aclosed-system <br />washwater recycling system were located adjacent to the breaker. Small amounts of coal were <br />occasionally stockpiled next to [he coal silos. <br />Coal for the silos was transported by truck to the loadout truck dump via County Road 108. <br />6 <br />