Laserfiche WebLink
No. 1 Mine benches and the storage and loadout areas occurred from October 1975 to mid-1976, <br />prior to the enactment of the Colorado Mined Lanti Reclamation Act of 1976 and its topsoil <br />salvaging requirements. Due to the steep slopes in these areas, no topsoil was salvaged. Since <br />enactment of the 1976 law, topsoil has been salvaged from disturbed areas. <br />Soils within those portions of the permit area which have been or will be disturbed by surface <br />operations and facilities aze generally deep, encouraging surface runoff. As a result, the water <br />erosion hazard is often high. Generally, available water capacities are high, reflecting the <br />potential of these soils to store water for plant use. Topsoil layers at the existing facilities are <br />shallow, ranging from about two (2) inches to eight (8) inches; surface textures aze generally <br />loams or clay loams with subsoils ranging from clay loams to clays. However, at the Roatcap <br />Creek facilities soils aze much deeper, ranging from two (2) feet to four (4) feet in many places. <br />Basaltic cobbles and stones are common throughout the profile of most soils. The general area is <br />somewhat susceptible to landslides, especially in the steeper topography of the mine bench area <br />and, as such, the continual sloughing of colluvial material in this area impairs horizon <br />development. <br />V~etation Rules 2.04.10, 2.05.4(2)(e), 4.15 <br />Information pertaining to vegetation baseline may be found on pages 70 to 75, Part 2.04 of <br />Volume 1 and in the Vegetation Appendix of Volume 9A. Information pertaining to [he <br />revegetation plan and vegetation success criteria may be found on pages 67 to 76, Part 2.05 of <br />Volume 1 and in the Vegetation Appendix of Volume 9A. <br />Disturbance at the Bowie No. 1 Mine began in late 1975 but has presently ceased due to a <br />temporary cessation of mining. Initial disturbance occurred prior to any requirements for <br />preparation of vegetation inventories; therefore, portions of this mine site were not surveyed. <br />However, as new areas aze proposed to be disturbed, they are first inventoried. <br />Nine vegetation types have been inventoried in the mine pemvt area, including agriculture, <br />aspen, mixed shrub, mountain meadow, oakbrush, pinon-juniper, sagebrush, sparse herbaceous <br />understory, and riparian. <br />The majority of the disturbed areas at Bowie No. 1 Mine are located in oakbrush communities <br />dominated by Gambel oak uercus gambelii) and serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia and in <br />pinon-juniper communities where Utah juniper Jmii erus osteosperma) dominates over pinon <br />pine Pinus edulis . Other communities disturbed to a lesser degree include agriculture <br />(orchazds), mixed shrub, and riparian. <br />No threatened or endangered plant species have been identified on the permit area. <br />Fish and Wildlife -Rules 2.04.11, 2.05.6(2), 4.18 <br />18 <br />