2009-04-27_APPLICATION CORRESPONDENCE - C2010089 ‎(2)‎

• Permit No: C2010089
• IBM Index Class Name: Application Correspondence
• Doc Date: 4/27/2009
• Doc Name: Division of Wildlife Inquiry
• From: Kent Crofts
• To: District of Wildlife Manager & Wildlife Conservation Biologist
• Email Name: MLT
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

Mr. Tony Bonacquista 22 April 2009
District Wildlife Manager - Nucla
Colorado Division of Wildlife
P.O. Box 272
Nucla, CO 81424 R'? celled
Mr. Jim Garner APR 27 2009
Wildlife Conservation Biologist
Colorado Division of Wildlife '- eld Office
2300 South Townsend a : aciamation,
Montrose, CO 81401 Mining and Safety
Re: Western Fuels LLC North Adjacent Permit Expansion Area.
Dear Tony and Jim:
This letter is being written as a followup to discussions we had with you Tony, while your were
fueling up your pickup at the Mustang Station in Nucla in January, and with you Jim in a
telephone call a few days latter, regarding the plans of Western Fuels LLC, to mine a parcel of
land located approximately two miles northwest of the Town of Nucla. The property in question
consists of a tract containing approximately 320 acres and is located in the in the West V2 of
Section 25 of Township 47 North, Range 16 West. The entire parcel is located with the area
north of Montrose County Road AA Road, west of County Road 26.50 Road, south of County
Road Z and east of County Road 2600 Road, within the boundaries of the area designated on the
enclosed map.
In a pre-consultation meeting held with personnel from the Colorado Division of Reclamation,
Mining and Safety (CDRMS) in Grand Junction on 2 December 2008, we discussed the time
frame and possible issues of concern relative to the permitting of this proposed mine expansion
area. During that meeting we were instructed to make contact directly with the Colorado
Division of Wildlife (CDOW) and learn what specific concerns your agency might have relative
to the permitting, mining and ultimate reclamation of this property. Thus, this; letter.
Approximately one quarter of this site, the lower most portion next to Montrose County Road
AA Road, was originally mined by Peabody Coal, when they owned the mine, beginning in the
late 1970's and reclamation was completed in 1993. In connection with that permitting effort,
Peabody commissioned in 1979, detailed site specific wildlife studies on this tract which have
been used in the permitting of adjacent tracts since. Western Fuels has hired IME to prepared the
detailed vegetation, wetland, land use and the corresponding wildlife sections of the state Permit
for this new mine expansion area which we plan on submitting in the fall of this year, with
mining starting in 2010.
We would like to schedule a meeting with you and any other personnel from the CDOW to
identify the potential concerns your agency might have relative to this proposed action- We will
be working a great deal of the next few weeks in Nucla finalizing the vegetation and land use