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Doc Date:12/11/2001 <br />S(~, III IIIIIIIII1111111 <br />2.04.3 General Reciuirements: Site Description And Land Use <br />Information <br />The location of all of the existing land uses within the permit <br />area and adjacent areas for the mining operation can be found on <br />the Land Use Map (Map 17) . Although part of the area has been <br />previously mined by underground techniques and part currently is <br />mined by surface methods, the present dominant land use within the <br />permit area is rangeland. Some limited amount of land within the <br />permit and adjacent areas is used as cropland and pastureland. The <br />land use designations in the permit and adjacent areas are <br />confirmed by the Moffat County Land Use Map which was prepared by <br />the Soil Conservation Service, United States Department of <br />Agriculture. <br />As stated above, another use is found on much of the proposed <br />permit boundary, yet it has not been included in land use catego- <br />ries as defined under existing Colorado regulations for coal <br />mining. This use is "mined land" and is one of the current land <br />uses within the permit boundary. This land use results from the <br />fact that the permit boundary covers both undisturbed land and <br />lands which are presently subject to surface coal mining and <br />reclamation operations. <br />The current mining operations of Colowyo were initiated in 1976; <br />this mine employees surface mining techniques as described in <br />Sections 2.05.2 and 2.05.3. Two underground coal mining opera- <br />tions, known as the Red Wing Mine and the Streeter Mine, were <br />previously operated in the area. The portals were sealed by <br />concrete and are covered by the Streeter Fill. Map 31, Red Wing <br />Mine provides additional information. <br />The areas designated as rangeland adjacent to the permit area are <br />grazed by either sheep or cattle during the spring, summer and fall <br />depending on the grazing plan. No evidence could be found that <br />indicated the land use of rangeland had changed within the <br />preceding five years. <br />As described in Section 2.04.11, the rangeland also supports <br />substantial populations of deer, elk, sage grouse, non-game birds, <br />raptors, and numerous other wildlife species. <br />•~ <br />2.04.3-1 <br />