GENERAL49404 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Due to disturbances from past mining activities, use of the area for grazing, proximity to the town of Trinidad, and proximity to a major highway (I-25), the utility of the area as wildlife habitat is somewhat limited. Large, undisturbed areas lie to the south and east of the mine that offer suitable habitat. However, following reclamation, indigenous species such as elk, mule deer, and turkey have been occasional visitors to the reclaimed area. The Raton Creek Mine is located in the eastern limb of the Trinidad-Raton Basin syncline. The coal seam that was mined (Lower Starkville seam) occurs in the Vermejo Formation and dips to the west three to four degrees. Some minor faults have been noted in old underground workings. The Starkville seam outcrops in the mine area slightly above the Starkville drainage. The Raton Formation lies stratigraphically above the Vermejo Formation, and includes some coal seams of minor importance. stratigraphically below the Vermejo Formation is the Trinidad sandstone, an aquifer of regional significance. The main mine facility is located in the Starkville drainage. This drainage flows only in response to rainfall or snowmelt. Starkville Gulch drains into Raton Creek, which is tributary to the Purgatoire River. The region is characterized by a semi-arid climate. Prevailing winds are from the southwest at an average speed of ten knots. The mean annual precipitation is 15 inches. The growing season is approximately 156 days. Native soils are derived from the sedimentary materials that comprise the foothill slopes. The soils on the side slopes of the mine site are characteristically shallow, being derived from parent sandstone and shale layers that outcrop in the area. The soils are neutral to slightly alkaline, clay to clay-loam in texture, and have low concentrations of salts and organic water. Soil mapping indicates soils of the Midnight-Rombo and Louviers-Rombo-Travessilla variety. Soils near the ephemeral drainage and at the mouth of the drainage are deeper and have a finer texture. These soils are of the Fort Collins and Limon-Gaynor mapping units. Textures of these soils range from loam to silty clay loam with a neutral to slightly alkaline pH. Two primary vegetative communities dominate the area that has been disturbed by mine-related activities. At the mouth of the ephemeral Starkville drainage (below 6400 feet) and to the west of the immediate mine area, agrass/low shrub community is dominant. Warm season grasses and low shrubs are the major life forms found in this area. On the north and south-facing sides of the drainage at the mine, a shrub community characterized by pinyon pine, juniper, and Gambel's oak is found. Dominance of individual species is variable and determined by abiotic (slope, aspect), and biotic (grazing pressure, species tolerance) factors. No characteristic vegetative community exists in the vicinity of the ephemeral Starkville drainage. -3-