2010-07-15_REPORT - M1988044 (2)

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ANNUAL STATUS REPORT TO COLORADO STATE BORAD OF LAND COMMISSIONERS SAND GRAVEL LEASE: GL-264 (FOURTH AMENDMENT) LOWRY RANGE COAL CREEK (QUINCY AVE. SOUTH TO COUNTY LINE) SCHMIDT CONSTRUCTION COMPANY APPLICABLE YEAR: 2010 DUE DATE: JULY 15, 2010 In accordance with the requirements of Paragraph 6 of the lease and Item I.A.5 of the Operation Plan, the following information is provided as a status report for the year preceding the due date stated above. This information updates the previous annual status report information. Any updated maps presented in this report contain not only the information for the current year, but information for prior years as well. If no new map is provided then there was no change in the information provided on the previously submitted map. Thus, as conditions change, the maps are kept up to date on an annual basis without a need to refer back to previous maps. Any maps that were not updated are so indicated in this report so the most current map can be located for reference as needed. DATE OF FINAL INSPECTION FOR PREPARATION OF THIS REPORT: June 10 and July 2, 2010 SUMMARY OF THE CURRENT STATUS REPORT YEAR: The 2009-2010 operation year (July 15, 2009 - July 15, 2010) was another incredibly slow year for the operation. With the economy still in the dumps, demand for sand was essentially the same as last year which was a 30% decline from the previous year. Reclamation of older disturbances proceeded this year with a small amount of backfilling and grading. No seeding was done this year. Climatically, the winter was a bit on the dry side, but precipitation in the fall was held in the soil by a cool to cold winter with fewer drying winds than are usually seen. Spring 2010 brought additional moisture in fair abundance and sometimes in considerable abundance helping to start the growing season with a positive moisture balance. Lands seeded in 2008 that germinated later in 2008 after the long, hot and very dry summer of 2008 showed considerable growth gains in 2010 and much of the weakness previously noted all but disappeared. The moisture charging in late 2009 combined with good moisture in the spring of 2010 helped boost the growth of both native and planted species. The land seeded in 2009 exhibited a low amount of visible grass through the 2009 growing season, but, as is common with perennial grasses, top growth increased in 2010 to the point where some localized stands were as much as three feet tall by early July. The dense growth of tumbleweed (primarily Russian thistle) seen in this area in 2009 declined to a minor component in 2010. The decline to this level interestingly is a year earlier than is normally seen with this species. This may have been due to a lower nitrogen content in the replaced soils than was placed in other areas where the tumbleweeds held on longer. Lower nitrogen levels affect annuals the most and favors perennial Status report for 2009 due July 15, 2010 Page 1 of 11