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Department of Agriculture, State agricultural universities or appropriate State natural resources or a~ricultur~l <br />• agencies. <br />(3) The application shall state whether the Proposed permit area has been previously mined and if so <br />[he following information, if available: <br />(a) The type and descrption of minine method used; <br />(b) The coal seams or other mineral strata mined; <br />(c) The extent of coal or other mineral removed; <br />(d) The approximate dates of past mining; and <br />(e) The uses of the land preceding mining. <br />(f) The location and extent of acreage disturbed by previous surface coal mining and <br />reclamation onera[ions. <br />(4) The application shall contain a description of the existing land uses and land use classification <br />under local law, if any, of the proposed permit area and adiacent areas. <br />RCSPONSC <br />. TCC has included in this permit revision application a description of the premining environmental <br />resources existing within the proposed permit and adjacent areas which may be affected by the planned <br />mining activities. These descriptions can be found in the responses to Rules 2.04.4 through 2.04.12 which <br />immediately follow [his section. Information presented in these sections was obtained from site specific <br />studies during 1984 and/or previous years, historical records, personal communication with reliable <br />individuals, and local agency persomtel. The informatimi presented is based on what TCC believes to be <br />sound engineering and scientific reasoning. The information acquired from these sources was confirmed <br />and augmented through comparison with adjacent undisturbed sites. <br />.~'S-) <br />r~'~ <br />Land use categories as defined under Rule 1.04(71) occurring within and adjacent to the proposed permit <br />area are indicated on Maps3, Premining Land Use. The predominant pre-mining land uses are identified <br />on this map and include cropland, pastureland and rangeland. Two subordinate and coincidental land uses <br />are also known to occur in the area of Twentymile Park: wildlife habitat and recreation (almost <br />exclusively in the form of hunting). The dominant land use designations are confirmed by the Routt <br />County Land Use Map prepared by the USDA, Soil Conservation Service (SCS). A recent update of this <br />map entitled "Primary and Secondary Farmland" lists cropland within the proposed permit area as <br />secondary farmland. Postmining land-use designations may be found on Map 3B (Postmining Land Use). <br />The definition of "land use" as given in Rule 1.04 is stated as "specific uses or management-related <br />activities rather than the vegetation or cover of the land." Therefore, TCC has complied with this <br />definition for the identification of area land uses and their identification in Map 3, Premining Land Use. <br />far instance, pastureland is defined under Rule 1.04(71)(6) as land "actively managed for grazing, <br />browsing, or for occasional hay production". Smooth brome pastures, some native grasslands, and many <br />• haylands fit this definition easily. However, the inclusion of the term "browsing" confirms the intent to <br />not exclude from [he pastureland classification, land on which shrubs arc a component of the plant <br />community. Land that supports plant communities containing shrubs will obviously not be cut for hay but <br />can be used or managed as pastureland. This understanding of pastureland management in Twentymile <br />MR 97-154 2.04-2 Revised 10/02/97 <br />