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~FRt7M GLl4SRSOC. ~ PFCrE N0. : 97~] `~65 1Q'67• Feb. i2 1998 08:44FM F'2 M1 P~ ~ i~ E 1~ w ]'~~~ BUREAU OF L~L'~'D ~i4ti'AGE'.NEVT san f unn Refnu rce Area Fedc nl B~iidinK i0I (;amino D<rRlo ' Dun ngo, Colondo 61301 Suzie Campbell Bell F~~' ] ~ )44)J P. O. Box 312 Cortez, Colorado 51321 Dear.Ms. Eell: - T1KE~~ ~ PRIDE INS i~ u~,.r airs u. 2000 CO-038 Sr answer to your letter of Januar}.• 26, 1998 we will respond to each nuuioered cal:estion you posed. 1. There were three mineral.exploration test pits dug by Mr. Stone under the oversite cf a BLDI archaeologist within the boundary of site SMT2020 and one at the edge o_° site. 2. No new roads were "Cut" nor ''blade dropped", random or otherwise, on the subject parcel. At the proposed Stcne Pit site, a backhoe was used to access the area overland, dig the test pits, and backfill each disturbed Fite. The bucket side of the backhoe was used to push the excavated material back into the hoien. At each test pit site the backhoe.would have had to turn around, making some marks in the soil and disturbing the sagebrush at each site. it is apparent that sagebrush was crushed an3 disturbed to some extent both along old existing trails and overland where the backhoe driven to access the test pit sites. No blading occurred as part cf this operation. There has been ro blading apart from the existing roads in the area for several years. The test pit sites were random in layout and some test pits were more completely filled and smoothe3 than others, but no^e were left open. 3. Your estimate of depth and length of each test pit agrees with ouz observations. Digging a hole of this sort with a backhoe generally makes a trench deeper at one end than the ether. 'vlhile the hole is being dug, the operator typically places the excavated material in a pile to one side of the trench. 4. DIo "Notice Of inter t' was filed with BLM, nor is a federal Notice of Intent required for this action. Hovfpver, Mr. Stone did file a Land Use Permit application with our office on April 25, 1997. After consultation with our legal counsel (Solicitors), we notified Dir. Stone that no federal permit was required for this particular action. General notification is required however and BLM took Mr. Stone's application as chat notification. As you know, there was a BLM archeologist present during excavation and directing the location. o£ the test pits in the vicinity of site SMT2020. III IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII sss United States LrparuTieTi~ ul the Interior