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The 21 acre sure disturbance area, which incl~s the existing "E" seam and • proposed "D" seam portals and yard area is located at the head of a shallow box canyon. The sail type at the site is a Beenom-Absarokee Association which varies in depth from 5" along the side slopes to 12" along the drainage bottom. Deeper, more productive soils have developed along the major streams and in the "glacial- alluvial" deposits in the more level uplands to the north and west of the surface disturbance area. Soils at the facilities area have been severely disturbed by previous surface activity associated with underground mining. The primary vegetation type in the permit and adjacent area is pinyon-juniper woodland, with limited sagebrush and greasewood communities occupying deeper soils along drainages and toe slopes. The permit area is within critical mule deer winter range, as designated by the Colorado Division of Wildlife. The general area also provides winter range for elk and is used at different times throughout the year by various small game animals, non-game animals and birds. A cultural resource study was performed in July, 1981. A 100% survey of the existing facilities area and a 10% survey of the permit area were made. Two lithic scatters and five isolated aboriginal finds were recorded during the 10% survey of the permit area. None were eligible far nomination to the National Register of Historic Places due to the presence of limited artifacts and lack of diagnostic features to ascribe cultural affiliation and temporal placement. Pre-mining land use in the 21 acre surface disturbance area associated with the Red Canyon Mines, as well as immediately adjacent areas was primarily wildlife habitat. Previous surface and underground mining activities have disturbed lands within and adjacent to the surface facilities area. Mining began in the permit area in 1916, and has been intermittent since that tune. Grand Mesa Coal Company began mining at the Red Canyon No. 1 Mine in 1977. Land uses adjacent to the Red Canyon Mine include wildlife habitat, irrigated pastureland and orchards. Pre-mining land use at the Delta Load-out was industrial; a sugar processing plant. Descriotion of the Operation and Reclamation Plans The Red Canyon Permit Renewal of 1988 indicated that mining operations ceased in 1984 and that future permits would be required only to reclaim the site. Consequently, this findings and permit document are being issued approving only reclamation and not continuation of mining. A description of the previous operation plan and the proposed reclamation plan follows. The mine's permitted area is approximately 610 acres; all privately owned surface. The "E" coal seam, which is the seam presently mined via the Red Canyon No. 1 portals, is 100% private coal, while approximately 4% of the "D" seam coal to be mined during the first permit term via the No. 2 portals was from Federal Lease D-036906. The D seam portals were never opened. The leased federal coal is located in the SW 1/4 SW 1/4 of Section 12, T13S, R95W. The Red Canyon No. 1 Mine was a room and pillar underground operation. A limited extraction rate of 50-55% was employed by the operator to avoid subsidence impacts to the land surface and the surficial aquifer system. Total production between 1977 and 1984 was 320,509 tons from the E seam. Maximum production occurred in 1981 when 137,698 tons were shipped. The -5-