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Environmental Assessment <br />Dickerson Pit <br />Curecanti National Recreation Area, Colorado <br />Summary <br />On February 17, 2003, Gunnison Gravel & Earthmoving (the operator) submitted an application <br />for a Special Use Permit, which included a Plan of Operations, to the National Park Service <br />(NPS) to expand mining operations at the Dickerson Pit (the pit), a mineral materials site located <br />at the eastern end of Curecanti National Recreation Area (the park). The proposal requested an <br />expansion of operations to include all 33.16 acres of the mineral estate. On May 26, 2003, the <br />operator submitted a supplement to the application, which included additional operational <br />information requested by the park. <br />This Environmental Assessment evaluates two alternatives for the operator to mine the <br />Dickerson Pit for decomposed granite and intermixed materials. Alternative A evaluates <br />baseline conditions under No Action. In this case, No Action means that the operator would not <br />expand current operations. Additional impacts on the affected environment would be limited to <br />those incurred from mining the remainder of the 12.4 acres that were approved for mining in <br />2000 under an NPS Special Use Permit. <br />Alternative B evaluates the Plan of Operations, as submitted by the operator and supplemented <br />with additional mitigation measures, to mine 31.94 acres of the Dickerson Pit mineral estate (the <br />total mineral estate of 33.16 acres, minus a 1.22-acre visual buffer that would remain <br />undisturbed). Given the application of the required mitigation and the location of the site in <br />relation to park resources, there would be no or negligible impacts on floodplains, wetlands, <br />historic structures, ethnographic resources, cultural landscapes, museum collections, or park <br />management and operations. Impacts on air quality, geology and soils, water quality, <br />archeological resources, vegetation, wildlife, species of management concern, and visitor use <br />and experience would be localized and both short term and long term, with adverse impacts <br />ranging from negligible to moderate. Archeological sites on the property were surveyed and a <br />Data Recovery Plan was developed. The park has stipulated that this plan be incorporated into <br />Alternative B as required mitigation to limit adverse impacts on archeological sites to less than <br />major levels. Alternative B is the Preferred Alternative. Alternative A is the environmentally <br />preferred alternative, as that term is defined by the National Environmental Policy Act. <br />Public Comment <br />The Notice of Availability will be published in the Daily Sentinel in Montrose, Colorado and the. <br />Gunnison Country Times in Gunnison, Colorado. If you wish to comment on the Plan of <br />Operations or the Environmental Assessment, please mail comments to the name and address <br />below. These documents will be available for public review for 30 days from the date of <br />publication in the newspapers. Please note that names and addresses of people who comment <br />become part of the public record. If you wish us to withhold your name and/or address, you <br />must state this prominently at the beginning of your comment. We will make all submissions <br />from organizations, businesses, and individuals identifying themselves as representatives or <br />officials of organizations or businesses available for public inspection in their entirety. <br />Superintendent <br />Curecanti National Recreation Area <br />102 Elk Creek <br />Gunnison, CO 81230 <br />