2008-03-21_PERMIT FILE - C1980007A (49)

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West Elk Mine the land uses described by the land management agencies or property owners responsible for management and/or use of individual properties. BLM managed lands north and northeast of West Elk Mine are predominantly managed for coal extraction and wildlife habitat (outside mining areas). These land uses are identified as commercial and wildlife habitat on the map, and correspond to Management Area 7. BLM lands north of the Gunnison National Forest boundary and west of the private lands running northwest-southeast through the permit area are contained in Management Unit 2. As with the adjacent Gunnison National Forest lands, management focuses on maintenance and improvement of winter range for deer, elk, pronghorn, and bighorn sheep populations. All other uses are permitted, provided they do not degrade winter range capability. Gunnison National Forest lands within and adjacent to the mine fall into three land use categories; rangeland, wildlife habitat, and recreation. Rangelands managed for livestock grazing (Management Area 6B) are found east of Minnesota Creek and north of Gunnison Creek to the forest boundary. Recreation lands are found southeast of Gunnison Creek within the West Elk Wilderness Area and are managed to enhance and emphasize "primitive recreation opportunities requiring a high degree of isolation" (USFS, 1991). In the forest area southwest of Minnesota Creek, the USFS has designated the area wildlife habitat, and prescribed the management emphasis on maintaining winter range for ungulate wildlife. Interspersed with BLM and Gunnison National Forest lands on the western flank of the permit area are many private land holdings. The predominant use of the private lands is for range and livestock grazing. Several limited agricultural areas are found along Minnesota Creek and to the southwest of Lion Mesa. To the northwest and north of the permit area, land uses are mixed and include residential/ commercial (within the town of Somerset and adjacent areas), commercial/mining (Sanborn Creek Mine, Bear Mine), and rangeland (predominantly north of the North Fork of the Gunnison River). Surrounding Area Land Uses: Gunnison and Delta Counties Urban land accounts for less than one percent of Gunnison County and approximately two percent in Delta County (SCS, 1973). Aside from the small, unincorporated town of Somerset, which is located in Gunnison County on the northern edge of the study area, the urban lands closest to the pernnit area are the towns of Paonia and Hotchkiss, both in Delta County. They are located approximately 9 and 17 air miles respectively, southwest of Somerset on the North Fork of the Gumnison River. While agriculture is of limited areal importance in Gunnison County as a whole, it is of greater importance in Delta County, especially in the central portion. Only 5.4 percent of the lands in the North Fork Sub-basin of the Gunnison River Basin is used for crops (Economic Research Service, et al, 1962); however, agriculture is an important factor in the economics of the region. In 1964, 45.6 percent of the land in Delta County and 10.3 percent of the land in Gunnison County were in farmlands. In Delta County in 1964, 24 percent of the farmland was irrigated and 60.6 percent of that land had crops harvested from it. Irrigated croplands extend up the 2.04-6 Revised June 2005 PRIO; Rev. March 2006 ; Rev. Apri12006 PR10, Sep. 2007 PR12