2008-12-19_REVISION - M1980244 (3)

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• the area is less than evaporation and the geologic materials of the diatreme are sufficiently permeable as to preclude impoundment of water unless a barrier to infiltration is purposefully constructed. • North Cresson Mine Area Viewshed Conservation Plan In addition to the site-wide reclamation commitments to re-establish wildlife habitat and grazing as the post-mining land use, CC&V is proposing specific additional reclamation activities for the North Cresson Mine area to mitigate impacts to aspen stands that comprise a portion of the view and the viewshed of the mine operations area from the City of Cripple Creek. Mining activities scheduled in Schist Island portion of North Cresson mining area for approximately 2015 and 2016 (see revised drawing C-5) have been revised to provide for additional overburden backfill placement in the area of the Schist island portion of the North Cresson Mine that was previously shown as a remaining highwall within the City of Cripple Creek view shed This additional overburden placement during mining will provide for an additional 17.5 acres of surface mine reclamation in this portion of the North Cresson mine Total reclaimed acres for this portion of the North Cresson go from approximately 92 acres to approximately 109.5 acres. This additional overburden will be graded to create additional reclaimable landforms that will be blended to the surroundin topography as shown in the revised post-mining topography map (see revised drawing F-1). These regraded slopes will then be covered with a minimum of six inches of growth medium and reseeded in accordance with the approved reclamation plan. Reclamation surety costs to complete this additional regrading, growth medium placement, and revegetation have been included in the updated reclamation surely estimate included in this revisedplan Following mining in the North Cresson Mining area, the upper portion of the ridge facing the City of Cripple Creek will present a visual contrast of regraded, 2.511:1 V mined slopes above mature aspen and Engelmann spruce stands along the lower portion of the ridge. In order to better blend the mined land reclamation with the remaining trees, CC&V will conduct an aspen transplanting program where the reclaimed slopes meet the mature aspen stands, CC&V will excavate mature "pads" of aspen trees from defined areas within the mature stands (at the contact line) and transplant those "pads" to the reclaimed slopes that will extend the aspen stands into the reclaimed areas in a pattern that will visually break-up the line between aspen stands and reclamation slopes above. This transplanting will be completed with a large front-end loader (992 or equivalent) at the equivalent tree density of approximately 400 mature stems per acre. For Cripple Creek & Victor Gold Mining Company Cresson Project Mine Life Extension ll-7