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The general area contains important winter range for both elk and deer, and <br />over 10,000 hunter days per year are spent in this area. Golden eagles have <br />been noted near the minesite, but no threatened or endangered wildlife species <br />have been observed. <br />The permit area can be divided into two general land use categories. The <br />loadout is vithia an area historically used as cropland, or more specifically, <br />orchard laced. The permit area north of Highway 133 is used as short term <br />grazing and wildlife habitat. <br />Some recreational use, hunting and hiking is particular, occurs within the <br />mine area. There are also a few summer homes, cow Camps, and a restaurant <br />that have been used intermittently. <br />Cultural, historic, and archaeological studies have been conducted of the <br />permit area is April and May, 1977; August, 1980; August, 1981; July, 1982; <br />and May and September, 1984. No significant prehistoric or historic cultural <br />resources were encountered within the areas studied.- _ <br />The vegetation on the areas affected by the Orchard Valley mine's surface <br />operations and facilities is characterized by pinyon-juniper stands, mixed <br />mountain shrublands, oakbrush shrublands, and orchard land at the rail loadout <br />facility along the North Fork. <br />The valley in which Paonia is situated is semi-arid with annual precipitation <br />averaging about 15 inches per year. Hear annual precipitation increases with <br />elevation, reaching approximately 35 inches per year on the summit of Chalk <br />• Mountain. <br />The area is mountainous, with elevations ranging from 5,800 feet at Paonia to <br />11,150 feet at Chalk Mountain to the north on the Grand Hesa. Slopes range <br />from 0 to 60 percent on the permit area, and elevations range from about 5,700 <br />_ feet at the loadout facilities area to approximately 8,700 feet at the <br />northern extremity of the permit area. <br />The CWI permit area is drained by East Roatcap Creek, West Roatcap Creek, Main <br />Roatcap Creek, Steven's Gulch, Coal Gulch, and Terror Creek; all of which are <br />tributaries to the North Fork of the Gunnison. Terror Creek is a perennial <br />stream with an aquatic community that includes some trout. <br />Steven's Gulch, East Roatcap Creek, and Coal Gulch are intermittent to <br />ephemeral drainages that only flow part of the year. Localized deposits of <br />colluvial material reworked by fluvial processes are present vithia the <br />general area, primarily vithia the Steven's Gulch, West Fork Terror Creek, and <br />Roatcap Creek drainages. The flow in Terroz Creek and in the North Fork of <br />the Gunnison River are strongly influenced by irrigation structures along <br />these stream courses. <br />There are many springs and ponds within the permit area and hydrologically <br />adjacent area. It appears that, based on available data, most of these <br />springs and ponds are intermittent and depend upon seasonal precipitation and <br />recharge from shallow colluvial/alluvial sources. <br />• <br />3 <br />