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• INTRODUCTION <br />On May 23-24 and June 9, 2001 Western Cultural Resource Management,lnc. (WCRM) <br />conducted a Class III level cultural resources inventory of approximately 1330 acres in Delta and <br />Gunnison Counties, Colorado north/northwest of mining facilities and the town of Somerset, <br />Colorado (see Somerset slid Bowie USGS quadrangles located in the front matter). The <br />inventory of the Elk Creek Lease Exploration Project was conducted at the request of Oxbow <br />Mining, Inc. It was limited to the survey of the open terrain provided by existing roads, trails and <br />erosional areas because of the heavy vegetation cover and steep slopes present (Figures 1-4). As <br />a result, approximately 60 acres of the 1330 were accessible for Class III level survey. The entire <br />Project Area (16 drill pads and bosh existing and new roads) will be impacted both directly and <br />indtrectly as a result coal quality and geotechrrical exploration activities. The disturbance <br />associated with the exploration drill holes will include removing topsoil, leveling the pad for the <br />drill rig and ancillary equipment, and constructing a pit for drilling water containment. <br />The location of the Project Area is as follows: 125, R91 W, Sections 25, 35, and 36; T12S, <br />R90W, Section 29, 30, 31, 32; T13S, R91 W, Sections 1 and 12; T13S, R90W, Seotions 5, 6, 7, 8 <br />and 18. It is north of the North Fork of the Gunnison River in broken and steep temairt straddling . <br />Bear Creek to the west with Fire Mountain to the north. The survey area consists of 16 drill <br />locations (Table 1) and a 200 foot wide right-of--way on either side of both existing roads and <br />• roads to be constructed in the future. However, due to steep and heavily forested terrain, only a <br />small percentage of the Project Area could be 100% pedestrian surveyed. Thirty-three acres of <br />existing roads, 16.5 acres of new roads and 10.5 acres of the drill sites were surveyed to a Class <br />III level. The Project Area is located on Gunnison National Forest Service and Bureau of Land <br />Management lands as well as private lands. No resources had been previously recorded within <br />the Project Area. <br />Table 1. Drill Sites Land Status, Radius, Acreage Surveyed and Condition <br />brill Site No. Land Status Survey ]tadins Acreage Conditions <br />OM-01-01 Private/NFS 1000 ft (Only western % of drill site 36 5 acres surveyed; 70.80%ground <br /> to be developed due to presence of rover <br /> remains of historic structure burned <br /> down in 1960s on the east side of <br /> the road). <br />OM-01-02 BLM/NFS 1000 R 72 .2 acres surveyed; dense vegetation <br /> (95%) except for road; very steep <br /> (12-50%) <br />OM-01-03 Private 1000 R - 72 2 acres survryed; dense vegetation <br /> thoughout (95%); very steep (30. <br /> 40%) <br />', lI <br />u <br />