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~ ~~ United Stales Forest Paonia P.O. Box 1030 s ~ ~ ~ Department of Service Ranger District N Rio Grande Ave. Agriculture PHONE NO. 970-527-4131 Paonia, CO 81428 FAX 970-527-4151 File Code: 2820 Date: February 7, 2002 Mr. Phil G. Schmidt Manager of Engineering and Environmental Affairs Mountain Coal Company, L.L.C. PO.Box 591 5174 Highway 133 Somerset, CO 81434 Dear Mr. Schmidt, Representatives from the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) attended a meeting at the West Elk Mine regarding the new Sylvester Gulch road proposal. The attendants of the meeting included Wendell Koontz, and Henry Barbe of Mountain Coal Company (MCC). Kim Kaal, Doug Marah, George Goehl, and John Williams of the USFS. Tom Griepentrog of Buckhorn Geotech, and Byron Walker of the Colorado Division of Minerals and Geology (CDMG). During the meeting, the proposal for the Sylvester Gulch road was presented by MCC and Buckhorn Geotech of Montrose Colorado. The proposed road alignment was also field verified and appeared to be flagged by surveyors. Some of the observations made by the U.S. Forest Service Engineers and Geologist, were that the proposed road appeared to be within 100 feet of the stream, in the riparian azea, and that the road was located in proximity to slopes with northerly and easterly exposure: These slopes appeared slide prone with visible and active slide scalps on the western Sylvester Gulch slope, and appear to be wet and heavily vegetated. Based on the field observations made on January 30, 2002, the Forest Service is rejecting the new proposed Sylvester Gulch Road alignment. It was a consensus opinion of all on the field review that the proposed route will not meet the environmental or engineering requirements of the USFS nor CDMG, and will not provide a stable, long-term access. Observations made during the field inspection indicated the slopes with southerly and westerly exposure were steep, but reasonably dry and stable, and had predominantly oak vegetation (with one isolated stand of Cottonwood trees). This potential road corridor was described by the USFS and discussed with Henry Barbe, Mountain Coal Company Environmental Engineer. The USFS will require road construction to be out of the riparian areas as much as possible, with close to right-angle crossings of Sylvester Gulch, and if necessazy the road maybe constructed in the areas with 40% or greater slopes if they have a southerly or westerly dry exposure. The Forest Service is imposing the following requirements for the new proposed Sylvester Gulch road: Road Specifications U 5 Caring for the Land and Serving People Primetl on Recydetl Paper ~~~