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than artificially driven processes that are prone to failure. This takes a little longer, <br />but the result is far better with respect to ecological stability. <br />8. Wildlife: preserve critical habitats - There are no known critical habitats on the site. <br />The adjacent riparian corridor does provide important and in some cases critical habitat <br />for various plants and animals, but that will not be affected. <br />9. Vegetation <br />A. Weed control - Under the terms of the Reclamation Permit, control of noxious <br />weeds is required prior to the granting of a bond release. The Colorado Division <br />of Reclamation, Mining and Safety that administers the reclamation laws expects <br />that sites be as clean of noxious weeds as possible. Their basis for this <br />requirement is the Colorado Noxious Weed Act. Therefore, if noxious weeds <br />develop on the land, either during mining or after reclamation is implemented, <br />they must be controlled prior to a determination of reclamation adequacy and the <br />release of the financial and performance warranties held by the State. <br />B. Land stabilization with planting - In the reclamation plan (see Appendix A), <br />alfalfa will be planted over the entire site after creating the final surface grading <br />and replacing the topsoil. Although some would consider a more diverse mixture <br />more suitable, for the purposes of the landowner the use of only alfalfa is <br />preferable. Past reclamation efforts over several acres of 3:1 slope have produced <br />good results using this approach. As has happened on many other reclamation <br />projects performed in Colorado where alfalfa is used, the soil nitrogen enrichment <br />from the alfalfa encourages invasion by grasses and forbs from the surrounding <br />land. Eventually, the site can be inhabited by a grass/forb/alfalfa mixture. <br />C. Compliance with noxious plant laws - This was discussed above in 9.A. <br />Before the financial and performance warranties can be released, noxious weeds <br />must also be controlled. Furthermore, when a bond release request is made by a <br />permit holder, notification is sent to the local government that the request has <br />been made. That provides an opportunity for the local government to also inspect <br />the reclamation and determine whether the work has been done in accordance <br />with more specific weed management requirements that may exist at the local <br />level. A local government has the right to object to the bond release if it can be <br />Miller Gravel Pit -Special Use Permit Page 11 of 26 <br />