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INTRODUCTION <br />In 2007 Mountain Coal Company determined that as part of their planning process it would be <br />effective to conduct baseline habitat and wildlife surveys prior to the initiation of surface <br />disturbance activities in the E-Seam area. These surveys would cover the entire area that would <br />be affected for the 10-year E-Seam mine life. The purpose of those surveys was to delineate <br />vegetation/habitat types and conduct surveys for wildlife and plants listed as Threatened, <br />Endangered and Sensitive Species (TESS) and Management Indicator Species (MIS), nesting <br />raptors and other species within those types. By doing so large expanses of certain vegetation <br />types or areas could be ruled out as areas that would be used by listed species or in which listed <br />species may be found. This would help Mountain Coal and governmental agencies in long range <br />planning for drilling activities in the area. <br />In July 2007 a report titled "Mountain Coal Company, E-Seam Methane Drainage Wells Project, <br />Habitat and Wildlife Baseline Studies" was prepared by Monarch & Associates and Michael <br />Ward Outdoors. Detailed information on vegetation/habitat types and life histories of wildlife <br />• species were presented in that report. <br />In 2008 a habitat and wildlife report was prepared addressing wildlife activities in the E-Seam <br />Panels I & 2 areas. That report expanded on habitat and wildlife information presented in the <br />July 2007 Habitat and Wildlife Baseline Studies report for the Panels 1 & 2 areas. <br />This report presents findings from wildlife surveys conducted during the spring of 2009 for the <br />E-Seam Panels 2 & 3 Methane Drainage Wells Project. These surveys covered areas where <br />methane drainage wells will be located and access roads to these sites. Like the 2008 report, <br />detailed information on vegetation/habitat types and life histories of wildlife species presented in <br />the 2007 report are not presented here. Rather, only information on observations made during <br />the 2009 surveys are presented in this report. <br />In addition to the E-Seam Panels 2 & 3 surveys, it was determined there was a need to conduct <br />exploration drilling to compile information on the E-Seam coal at the east end of Panels 3 & 4 <br />this year. The need to conduct this drilling program necessitated that nesting raptor and listed <br />species surveys be conducted in the area where drilling would occur. The schedule required that <br />surveys be conducted by mid-May so construction of access roads and pads west of Deep Creek <br />could commence as soon as possible. It also necessitated that an area east of Deep Creek be <br />surveyed in the roadless area so drill sites could be prepared for a helicopter supported drilling <br />operation. A report to Liane Mattson and Dennis Garrison (USFS) on May 16 summarized the <br />findings from those surveys. That report is included as Appendix B in this report. The helicopter <br />supported drilling operation eliminated the need to construct any roads. Small pads on flat areas <br />were hand cleared of vegetation so the drill pads could be set up. There was no need to do any <br />leveling that would require dirt work at any of the three sites. There is one reclaimed exploration <br />road in the roadless area along Deep Creek that was reconstructed to Site K. The area where <br />these and other exploration drill sites are located are shown on Figure 1.