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• 5 <br />~ ~. <br />Operations began in 1975 at the Maxwell Mine. At present, three <br />shifts maintain continuous five-day-per-week operation by approximately <br />150 employees. Here again, precise projections of future operating <br />levels are not available. However, it is anticipated that the present <br />trork force will increase substantially and that mining operations will <br />continue in excess of 30 years. <br />Although most of the miners are working underground most of the <br />time, considerable surface activity does occur, including the trans- <br />port of some 200 tons;of refuse daily to the disposal areas at the Allen <br />Mine and 40 tons daily at the Maxwell. Most noise with potential for <br />disturbing wildlife, other than the aforementioned trucking of refuse, <br />• involves entry and exit of automobiles during shift changes at 7 a.m., <br />i ~ 3 p.m. and 11 p.m., trains hauling coal from the mines, conveyor operation, <br />exhaust portal fans and shop and yard activities. <br />Climate <br />The climate is best described as highland continental. Winters <br />are dry and often cold for long periods. Summers are relatively cool <br />and most precipitation occurs then. Precipitation and temperature data <br />were taken from 20-year records at Trinidad (6,030 feet elevation) and <br />Ilorth Lake (8,800 feet elevation) and interpolated to 1,470 feet <br />(elevation of the active refuse pile at the Allen Mine) by lJater, Waste & <br />Land, Ltd. (1980). Precipitation and snow depths should be slightly less <br />at the Maxwell Kline where elevations range from 7,050 to 7,200 feet. <br />• <br />