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Section 2.04.10 <br />Vegetation Information <br />New Horizon 2 Mine Area <br />1.0 Introduction <br />Western Fuels Colorado, A Limited Liability Company (WFC) is renewing Permit No. C -81 -008. <br />WFC's New Horizon 1 & 2 Mine is the old Peabody Coal Company Nucla & Nucla East Mine which <br />operated under the same permit. Peabody performed detailed vegetation studies at the New <br />Horizon 1 & 2 mine areas (formerly called the Nucla and Nucla East mine areas respectively). <br />Rather than duplicate large quantities of vegetation data, WFC refers the reader to the original <br />Peabody permit application: Volume D - Tab 10. When a reference is made to data sources in the <br />Peabody documents, the word "Peabody" will immediately precede the reference. <br />Vegetation baseline studies were conducted on properties associated with WFC's New Horizon 2 <br />mine as well as a larger study area (Map 2.04.100. These baseline studies were conducted <br />during the 1987 field season and primarily involved Peabody personnel. Preparation of a detailed <br />species list and evaluations for the potential occurrence of rare, threatened, or endangered plant <br />species was conducted by Dr. David Buckner of ESCO Associates, Inc. The approximately 618 <br />acre study area covers substantially more acreage than the proposed permit area in anticipation <br />of future mine expansion to the west. The study area is used for various types of agricultural <br />production and support, with irrigated hay, pasture, and crops providing the basis for this <br />production. In 1999, additional vegetation baseline studies were undertaken by Intermountain <br />Resource Inventories Inc. (IRI), Jim Irvine principal investigator. These studies verified and <br />expanded upon studies conducted in 1987 and included land not previously survey in the original <br />baseline vegetation study. Land studied in 1987 and 1999 includes the Morgan Property south of <br />BB Road. Land studied in 1999 includes the Johnson, Lloyd, Benson, WFC, Guire and Martin <br />Properties north of BB Road. <br />(Revised October 2009) <br />