2010-05-25_REVISION - C1981008 (3)

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and renamed it the New Horizon Mine. The New Horizon Mine is located on the NH2 Permit Area, which is about .5 mile south of the original Nucla Mine. The two permit areas are separated by Tuttle Draw, which is an erosional feature that divides the coal seams into two distinct economic units. New Horizon mine has been supplying coal to the Naturita plant since its opening in 1992. Annual production from PCC's Nucla Mine totaled 90,000+ tons in the earlier years, and WFC's New Horizon Mine produces about 350,000 tons per year. Currently, agriculture and seasonal tourism related to hunting are the primary uses in the area. The uranium industry has been essentially dead and the ore processing plant once operated by Union Carbide (now UMETCO) at Uravan is in the final stages of eradication and reclamation. As of 2009, there are some indications that the uranium industry could be active once again in the area. 2.0 Adjacent Land Use Land use adjacent to the New Horizon Permit area is either irrigated pasture or cropland, abandoned cropland or native rangeland used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. Specifically, lands to the west and north of the permit area are predominantly irrigated or abandoned irrigated cropland, while lands east of the permit area are predominantly native rangeland, irrigated pasture or residential sites. Lands to the south of the permit area are dominated by both irrigated and abandoned irrigated farmland, as well as native rangeland until south of Calamity Draw, where irrigated farmland dominates once again. Active cropland and irrigated pasture areas are irrigated because of the very dry climatic conditions experienced in this region. Irrigation water is delivered to the area by the Colorado Cooperative Ditch. A system of lateral ditches deliver water to the irrigated fields whereupon it is spread on the individual fields. One of these laterals, the West Lateral, bounds or traverses portions of the permit area. Improvements are generally limited to land leveling, where soils are deep enough, or to more efficient delivery/water spreading systems. Farmland has been abandoned in several areas because of either poor water availability, poor site characteristics related to topography and flood irrigability or poor economic return. Poorer sites or areas with shallow soils are in irrigated hay /pasture production while the deeper soils areas are in crop production or crop /hay rotations. Crops normally grown are annual grains, alfalfa or corn for silage. Irrigated hay or pasture is predominated by alfalfa with grasses such as smooth brome ( Bromus inermis orchard grass ( Dactylis alomerata or introduced wheat grasses ( Agropyron sp.) included in varying degrees of composition to improve forage quality. (Revised Sept 09) 2.04.3 -6