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Description of the Environment <br />Introduction <br />At this time, the New Horizon Mine 1 permit block encompasses approximately 98.6 acres that <br />have been reclaimed. Revegetation sampling was initiated on this tract in 2006 and the initial <br />results indicated that it would not achieve the Phase III revegetation success standards. <br />The New Horizon Mine 2 permit block encompasses approximately 828.34 acres. <br />Approximately 528.7 acres will be disturbed due to mining or related activities at Mine 2. The <br />majority of this findings document pertains to the Mine 2 area, since the activities at Mine 1 have <br />ceased with the exception vegetation monitoring of the Rice Tract. <br />> > i > and > w .. r <br />The topography is gently sloping with a fewr small ridges and swa'les. 'lviost of the 'land <br />surrounding the permit area is agricultural and is used primarily for irrigated and non-irrigated <br />farmland that generally produces alfalfa or pasture grasses. <br />The mine is located within the southeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau. The region is <br />characterized by broad and fairly smooth surfaced plateaus and mesas with gently dipping slopes <br />which are dissected by steep canyons. Surface elevations at the New Horizon Mine 2 area range <br />from a high of 5,795 feet (MSL) in the northeast part to a low of 5,555 feet in the northwest part <br />along Tuttle Draw for a total relief of about 240 feet. <br />Climate <br />The regional climate of the New Horizon area is typical of intermountain regions. The climate is <br />characterized by cold winters, hot summers, low rainfall, and short growing seasons. The mine <br />receives approximately 12 inches of precipitation in an average year. The majority of the <br />precipitation falls between October and May. <br />Regional Geology <br />The New Horizon Mine is located near the axis of the Nucla Syncline (San Miguel Syncline), a <br />shallow, broad synclinal fold running northwesterly for a length of 65 miles. No evidence of <br />faulting has been observed in drill holes at New Horizon Mine 2 area. The Nucla Syncline is 10 <br />to 15 miles southwest of the major regional geologic feature of the area, the Uncompahgre uplift. <br />The region lies in the Dolores River basin. The mine is located between two and three miles <br />northeast of the San Miguel River. Gently rolling terrain traverses the area and the mine <br />occupies a predominantly southwestern exposure. <br />The mine is located in the Nucla-Naturita coal field. The coal is found in late Cretaceous <br />sediments. The youngest Cretaceous rocks in the area are Mancos shale: a dark gray marine <br />shale, comprising the isolated hilltops south of the town of Nucla. The Mancos shale overlies the <br />Dakota sandstone. Two hundred feet of Dakota sandstone outcrops extensively along the axis of <br />the Nucla syncline. This formation consists of a yellowish-gray, fissile sandstone and <br />conglomeratic sandstone interbedded with dark gray shale and coal. There are two coal seams <br />8