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1 <br />I 1 <br /> <br /> <br />' Affected land Prom the operation will return to open range <br />grazing land which is its present use. <br />' As noted in the soils information exhibit, the soil is moderately <br />alkaline. Generally speaking the surface layer is a sandy loam <br />with cobbles. In some instances a clay loam is present, but it <br /> is also filled with cobbles. In some areas the soil 1s very <br />' gravely or stoney and these ar^ indicated by the presence of <br /> plnon pine or ~unipvr. pften these are on the gulch swales or <br />' erosion gullies. The present vegetation and the percent of <br />vegetative cover indicate that the ground has been over^-grazed in <br /> the past. Gullying, streambank cutting, and sheet erosion area <br /> also evident. There has been loss of surface layer soils which <br />' has resulted in a severe decrease in productivity and in than <br /> potential of the soils to produce plwnts suitable for grazing. <br /> AB indicated by field inspection and the soil reports, there is <br />' no topsoil on the site. In fact, over half of this site has no <br /> overburden to speak of. home areas on the southern and easterr~~ <br /> leg of the permit boundary contain over•burdsn which will be <br />' stripped and stockpiled. Materials used Tor 6ackfi111ng and <br /> plant growth will be predominately fines which are excess or <br /> unmarketable from the processing plant. Thane fines will <br /> actually be the sandy and loamy soils now present on thr property <br />' but without th^ cobbles. With no rocks, the soil can be more <br /> easily planted with the pr^ass seed. Fertilizers will be <br />' introduced based on recommendations of the Fremont County bail <br />Conservation Service. As the mining progresses into areas of <br /> different soil types, the SC6 staff will be consulted for the <br /> pr•oper• fart 111 zer• mixture. <br />' <br /> The 25 foot depth of resource will be mined down to the soft clay <br /> stone layer. pverburden and processing plant fines will be <br /> redistributed on the pit floor to a depth of 6 to 8 inches. The <br />' pit wall^ will be backfilled to a 3i1 slope. Elopes will them <br /> tie into the lower areas of the pit where it intersects the Eight <br /> Mile Creek and Rrkanaas River bluff. Overburden stockpiles will <br />' be seeded if they sit longer than one growing season. <br /> It is anticipated tfiat mining will consume appro>timately ten (10> <br />' acres per year^ and reclamation will be done in progress with the <br />mining. Therefore, in any given year we anticipate that ten <10) <br />acres will undergo the grading and backfilling of overburden and <br />processing tines. Also there will be another ten (10) acres <br />which has undergone seeding and has not yet been released from <br />financial warranty. <br />1 <br />