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several small tributaries. It is probable that irrigation tailwater has created or significantly enhanced <br />areas of riparian vegetation. <br />Historic and Existing Land Use on the Permit Area. The original permit area consisted of lands <br />north of Tuttle Draw mined by predecessor companies from 1958 to 1983. This original area, as <br />modified by reductions due to final bond releases, is now known as NH1 portion of the current permit. <br />In the early 1980's, one of the predecessor companies (Peabody) permitted, but did not mine an area <br />south of Tuttle Draw and west of the Town of Nucla. This area, labeled Nucla East by Peabody, is <br />now know as New Horizon 2 (NH2) by Western Fuels. The historic land use on the principal (NH2) <br />area has been mostly irrigated cropland and native rangeland . Existing use for NH2 is irrigated <br />hayfield, abandoned irrigated hayfield, native rangeland, mining disturbances, mine-related activities, <br />and reclamation. <br />The much smaller NH1 area is the remaining parcel of land from pre-WFC mining that has not yet been <br />granted a full bond release. This mine permit area and surrounding released land, prior to 1958 when <br />mining activities were begun by the Edna Coal Company, was fairly welt split between irrigated <br />crop/hayland and native rangeland/wildlife habitat. By the time Peabody purchased the Navajo Mine <br />in 1963, nearly all irrigated lands south of the east-west county road had been abandoned and <br />approximately one quarter of the present permit area was affected by mining activities. In May 1983, <br />Surtace Mine Permit No. C-008-81 was approved for the Nucla Mine (Original NH1). At that time, <br />• approximatelytwo-thirds of the original permit area was affected by mining activities and all irrigated <br />lands south of the county bypass road and west of the north-south county road had been abandoned. <br />The Nucla Mine (composed of the Nucla and Nucla East areas) was purchased by WFC in 1992. The <br />name was changed to the New Horizon Mine (with New Horizon 1 and New Horizon 2 areas <br />corresponding to the Nucla and Nucla East areas respectively). Existing land use on the NH1 mine <br />permit area is predominated by irrigated hayfield, native rangeland and reclamation. Table 2.04.3-1 <br />"Acreages by land Use, New Horizon Mine Permit Area" lists the various land uses within the permit <br />area and the corresponding acreages. A discussion of these various land uses follows. <br />• (REVISED26Aug2002) 2.04.3-3 <br />