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© Rare Earth Science, LLC <br />January 19, 2007 <br />~ECEI"JED <br />JAN 'L 4 2001 <br />Divis~~'; of Reclamation. <br />Mtnm9 and Safefy <br />James E. Stover <br />J.E. Stover & Associates, Inc. <br />PO Box 60340 <br />Grand Junction, CO 81506 <br />Re: Threatened 8 Endangered Species Inventory <br />Renewal No. 3 of State Permit No. C-1997-078 <br />Hamilton Mine, Montrose County, Colorado <br />Dear James: <br />Volume I, Exhibit 10 <br />,,~ <br />PO Box 1245 <br />Pdonid, Colorddo 81428 <br />phone 970/527-8445 <br />dawn®rdrcearthsc/ence.com <br />This letter and the attached figures report the results of a threatened and endangered (T&E) <br />species inventory completed by Rare Earth Science, LLC (Rare Earth), for Renewal No. 3 of <br />Hamilton Mine Permit No. C-1991-078 issued by the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining, and <br />Safety (DRMS). The DRMS requested this inventory in a Permit Renewal Application Adequacy <br />Review dated November 3, 2006, and addressed to your client, Honeywood Coal Company of <br />Nashville, Tennessee. Hamilton Mine is a surface coal mine located in Montrose County, Colorado, <br />between the Bramiers Draw and Long Draw drainages of the San Miguel River watershed (Figure <br />1). The original DRMS permit for Hamilton Mine was issued on February 10, 1992, and coal was <br />actively mined on approximately 90 acres (Figure 2) during 1992 and 1993. Backfilling, grading, <br />topsoiling, and seeding were completed on the mined area in 1993. Since 1993, the only activities <br />conducted at the mine have been reseeding, weed control, and reclamation monitoring. <br />Renewal No. 3 of the Hamilton Mine DRMS Permit is a routine renewal; no new areas of surface <br />disturbance and no significant changes to mine reclamation activities are proposed. However, a <br />criterion for permit renewal under Rule 2.07.6(2)(n) of the Regulations of the Colorado Mined Land <br />Reclamation Board for Coal Mining (effective August 30, 1980) requires DRMS to make a finding <br />regarding whether permitted activities will affect the continued existence of T&E species or result in <br />destruction or adverse modification of their critical habitat. The purpose of this letter is to provide a <br />T&E species analysis for reclamation activities at the mine to reflect the current T&E lists (see Table <br />1, below) issued by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the Colorado Division of Wildlife <br />(CDC)W). Table 1 lists the T8E species considered by this inventory, summarizes their habitat <br />requirements, and indicates whether suitable habitat for each species is present within the permit <br />boundary. <br />