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<br />u <br />~~~~~`9~/F~ <br />,;i;Nlnl982 <br />Mined Land Reclamation Beard <br />Room 423 <br />1313 Sherman Street <br />Denver, CO 80203 <br />Gentlemen: <br />MINED LAND RECLAMATION <br />Ce!o. Dept. o! ~'ah;r21 P.esec*cez <br />m. ~~ <br />P.O. Box 104 <br />La Veta, CO 81055 <br />June 17, 1982 <br />This letter is in reply to a public notice published in the Huerfano World <br />newspaper on approximately 6/11/82. It concerns L. Otto Goemmer's intent <br />to establish a gravel pit in the W%SW%SE%, Section 32, Township 295, Range <br />68 West of the 6th P.M., Huerfano County, Colorado. As near as I can de- <br />termine, this land for the proposed gravel pit lies immediately adjacent <br />to mine in Section 32. <br />In review of the Huerfano World notice and review of the reclamation plan on <br />file in the Huerfano County Clerk Albert Vigil's office, I have noted some <br />highly questionable items: <br />1. The reclamation plan states that Mr. L. Otto Goemmer, because he is <br />a rancher, should not be bonded for the reclamation. Mr. Goemmer has had an <br />existing gravel pit hole since approximately 1970, and has done nothing to <br />even reslope the b?nks. The existing hole left fmm previous gravel removal <br />is void of any vegetation except a few scrawny cottonwood trees. <br />2. Will the previously disturbed area be reclaimed? <br />3. This plan proposes 2:1 shaped slopes. In my opinion as a professional <br />conservationist with experience in reclamation, this steep slope cannot be <br />revegetated. <br />4. The plan states that the topsoil will be salvaged and spread over <br />the area to be reclaimed. In my opinion the very thin, sandy, cobbly topsoil <br />will be impossible to salvage and spread with equipment that is available to <br />gravel pit operations. <br />5. The reclamation plan does not call for any fencing of the area to <br />be reclaimed. During the past 2 years, this area has been extremely overgrazed; <br />so any newly planted grass would be undoubtably destroyed if not fenced. <br />6. The plan states that reclamation would not start until 1994. This <br />site is immediately adjacent to Colorado Highway 12 which is the primary <br />access route to Cuchara, a tourist area, and Panadero, a_Il~w_sk~ea in <br />Southern Colorado. This highly obvious site is not the only sour*ce~S~g~vel <br />in this vicinity. Any lack of mined land reclamation will be highly obvious. <br />to many people. We should not allow the natural beauty of the area to be ~ <br />destroyed. _ '~ <br />