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SECTION 2.05.6(2) <br />FISH AND WILDLIFE PLAN <br />NEW HORIZON 2 AREA <br />Introduction <br />The Fish and Wildlife Plan presented below is based on baseline information presented in Section <br />2.04.11, Fish and Wildlife Resources Infommation and the various regulatory requirements of the <br />approved Colorado Regulatory Program for surface mining. The plan is designed to minimize or <br />mitigate mining impacts to the wildlife populations of the area and provide where practicable the <br />enhancement of habitat and other resources. <br />The premining land use (Section 2.04.3, Site Description and Land Use Information) and proposed <br />postmining land use (Section 2.05.4(2)(e) Revegetation) is agriculture. Wildlife use of the permit <br />occurs simultaneously v~ith agricultural activities, though no specific habitat has been enhanced <br />for their benefit. No habitat critical to the continued existence of any Federal or State listed <br />Threatened or Endangered species is present in the permit area. Plants of special concern were <br />addressed in Section 2.04.10. However, two habitats of relative importance to several wildlife <br />species occur v~ithin the permit area which are a result of or directly related to agriculture. These <br />are the swale areas supporting willow and cattail growth and the farmsteads and orchards (see <br />Section 2.04.11). Within the context of the postmine land use, the reclamation objectives v~ill return <br />irrigated and dryland pasture in the permit area. <br />Baseline Slixfies <br />Baseline studies for vegetation and wildlife were conducted in 1979 (Mariah, 1979). Development <br />i <br />of the scope of work for these studies included consultation v~ith the Colorado Division of Minerals <br />and Geology (CDMG) and OSM. Detailed results of the studies for the permit area are presented <br />in Sections 2.04.10 and 2.04.11. A brief summary of the studies follows. <br />• (~nsEO sa-ssl 2.05.6(2) - 1 <br />