PERMFILE131849

• Permit No: C1992080
• IBM Index Class Name: Permit File
• Doc Date: 12/11/2001
• Section_Exhibit Name: Section 2.04 Environmental Resources Info
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

• Results of the vegetation baseline sampling are contained in the summary reports and
tables within Appendix 4-6. A vegetation community map of the permit and adjacent
area has been included on Map 4-6. This map shows the locations of randomly
selected transects within the old field. The vegetation map includes sufficient area
beyond the permit area to allow evaluation of vegetation as important habitat for fish
and wildlife.
A rare and endangered plant species survey was conducted in the spring of 1983. No
rare or endangered species more found to exist in the disturbed area. See Appendix 4-
6.
The baseline vegetation information is provided as a historical perspective. During
1996, Oakridge Energy submitted a request to change the post-mining land uses of the
permit area to better reflect the changing land uses of the Animas Valley adjacent to the
City of Durango (see permit section 2.D5.5 Post-Mining Land Uses). As the land uses
of the surrounding area had changed significantly in the intervening years, the plan to
return the mine permit area to rangeland and wildlife habitat was no longer viable or
appropriate in light of neighboring development and future post-mining development
plans for the permit area. With the approval of Technical Revision O5, the post-mining
land uses were changed from wildlife habitat with some cropland to industrial and
commercial, recreation, and residential. With this change, the focus of the
• revegetation plan changed. While revegetation measures and methods did not
significantly change, the need for maintaining reference areas for the vegetation
communities was eliminated, as the revegetation success standards for the approved
post-mining land uses are related to minimization of erosion (through plant cover).
The reader is referred to section 20.5.4(2) for a complete description of the reclamation
and revegetation plan.
2.04.11 ash and Wildlife Resources Information
The fish and wildlife resources study from the initial permitting of the mine is included
in Appendix 4-7 and keyed to Map 4-7. Though wildlife habitat is no longer an
approved post-mining land use for the mine, many of the revegetation species originally
selected have value for forage and cover for ambient wildlife species, and have been
retained in the revegetation seed mix.
The potential for impacts to threatened and endangered species was evaluated during
the initial permit review. No potential for impacts to threatened or endangered species
of their critical habitat was found.
•
Technical Revision 09 (v l.0) 4-17 Revised 3/1998