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ponderosa pine-juniper woodland. Oakbrush, skunkbrush, mountain mahogany and <br />snowberry are the important shrubs. Grasses that naturally occur are blue grams, western <br />wheatgrass, needle-and-thread, squirrel tail, mutton grass and red three-awn. <br />The soil types that are found at the Southfield Mine can be found on Map 14 and in section <br />2.04.9 of the permit application. Sandy loams, rock outcrops and stony loams are the <br />predominant soil types at the mine site and loadout. The permittee has performed all the <br />required soil pit excavations, analysis and research. <br />Wildlife <br />Wildlife information can be found in Section 2.04.11 of the permit application. <br />The Division of Wildlife, in 1979 and 1980, under the initial permitting effort by Dorchester, <br />conducted a wildlife survey. No threatened or endangered species were identified, although <br />possible migration through the area by the Peregrine Falcon may exist. <br />Mammals that can be found in the area are the mule deer, elk, bobcat, mountain lion, coyote, <br />gray and red fox, badger, striped skunk, long-tailed weasel, beaver and cottontail rabbit. <br />Aviarians include the golden eagle, red-tailed hawk, rough-legged hawk, sparrow hawk, <br />turkey vulture, scaled quail, turkey, pigeon, mourning dove, raven, magpie, crow and pinion <br />jay. <br />No aquatic species exist due to the ephemeral nature of the streams in the area. <br />Land Use <br />Prior to the Southfield mining operation, the land uses for the permitted area were grazing <br />and historic mining. Both the loadout and mine area were limited to rangeland and wildlife <br />habitat. Land use and productivity in the Southfield mine and loadout areas is limited by the <br />relatively arid climate, limited water availability, poorly developed soils, and various <br />socioeconomic factors. <br />Upon completion of mining and related activities, EFCI will return the disturbed areas to the <br />prevailing land uses of rangeland and wildlife habitat, which existed prior to development. <br />Further information on land use can be found in Section 2.04.3 of the permit application. <br />Description of the Operation and Reclamation Plan <br />Energy Fuels Coal, Inc. actively mined the Southfield Mine until it went into temporary <br />cessation on 18 December 2000. In a letter dated 30 May 2001, EFCI provided further detail <br />of its temporary cessation, pursuant to Rule 4.30.1(2). The mine has been reclaimed and the <br />surface facility areas have undergone a Phase I Bond Release (SL-02). All environmental <br />monitoring activities will continue until final bond release. Description of both the operation <br />and reclamation plan can be found in Section 2.05.3 of Volume 1 and Section 2.05.4 of <br />Volume 2 respectively, in the permit application. A brief description of each follows. <br />