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- as <br />STATE OF COLORADO <br />DIVISION OF MINERALS AND GEOLOGY <br />Department of Natural Resources <br />1313 Sherman St., Room 215 COLORADO <br />Denver, Colorado 80203 D I V I S ION O F <br />Phone: (303) 866-3567 M I N E RA L S <br />FAX: (303) 832-8106 G E O L O G Y <br /> <br />May 2, 2006 RECLAMATION-MINING <br />SAFETY-SCIENCE <br />Mr. Phil George Bill Owens <br /> <br />Ranch Manager Governor <br /> <br />Cross Mountain Ranch Headquarters Office Russell George <br />Executive Director <br />1280 Industrial Way Ronald W. Cattany <br />Craig, CO 81625 Division Director <br /> Natural Resource Trustee <br />Re: Reclamation Vegetation Monitoring at the Grassy Gap Mine Property, June 2006 <br />Dear Mr. George: <br />The Division plans to conduct vegetation sampling on the Grassy Gap Mine property in June 2006. <br />The Grassy Gap Mine is located at Township 5 N, Range 87W: Section 29; NE t/4, in Routt <br />County. The mine reclamation was completed in 1992. In 1993 the Division revoked the mine <br />permit and bond. As a revoked mine, the Division has maintained and conducted regular <br />inspections on the site. The Division is planning to end the State's jurisdictional oversight of the <br />reclaimed property. To do so, the Division must conduct vegetation sampling of the reclaimed <br />areas and demonstrate that the re-established plant community meets an established standard for <br />vegetative production and vegetative cover. In order to make this comparison, the Division needs <br />to sample the vegetation at the mine site prior to domestic livestock grazing during the growing <br />season. <br />In the Spring of 2005, the Division contacted Cross Mountain Ranch, in order to schedule the <br />Division's sampling efforts prior to Cross Mountain Ranch's domestic grazing of the Grassy Gap <br />Mine site. You and I spoke on the phone, and you indicated to me that the Division could sample <br />the first week of July 2005 without conflict to Cross Mountain Ranch's grazing plan. <br />Unfortunately, when the Division arrived on the mine site on July 5, 2005, we found sheep and <br />cattle had already been grazing the reclaimed area for several weeks. Since we were not able to <br />collect vegetation sampling prior to domestic grazing on the site, this seriously impacted the data <br />the Division was able to collect. <br />Two consecutive years of data are needed for the Division to show the site has achieved the <br />reclamation standards. The Division will need to collect vegetation samples for cover and <br />production during 2006 as well. We would like to work with your grazing schedule and be on the <br />site prior to Cross Mountain Ranch bringing domestic livestock on to the site. Could you let us <br />know when you plan to bring cattle and/or sheep on to the site, and approximately how many <br />animals and duration you plan to graze the site? If the Division could sample the property the first <br />week in June (June 7 through 9), would that be in advance of Cross Mountain Ranches planned <br />grazing schedule? <br />C <br />Office of Office of Colptraado-. _ <br />Mined Land Reclamation Active and Inactive Mines Geologibal-S rve