2010-11-02_PERMIT FILE - M2010054

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STATE OF COLORADO Bill Ritter, Jr., Governor DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES DIVISION OF WILDLIFE AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER Thomas E. Remington, Director 6060 Broadway Denver, Colorado 802113 Telephone: (303) 297-1192 wildlife. state. co. us November 1, 2010 Colorado Division of Wildlife Pueblo Service Center 600 Reservoir Road Pueblo, CO 81005 - -- Mr. Peter S Hay , Environmental Protection Specialist V Division of Reclamation, Mining, and Safety sro?OF?y4 For Wildlife- For People 0 2 2010 Divis« : ;?6i;i`w,,n rtk)n, Mining and Sanity -to 131.3 Sherman St., Room 215 Denver, CO 80203 RE: Timothy D Williams & Betty J Williams, Williams Pit No.l, File No. M-2010-054 Dear Mr. Hays: Recently the Colorado Division of Wildlife received a request for written commentconcerning the proposed Surface extraction of construction materials and reclamation permit located in Township 27S Range 64W Section 32 in Huerfano County, known as the Williams Pit No. 1. This request was forwarded to District Wildlife Manager Jeremy Gallegos for wildlife assessment. Wildlife species that may be commonly found on the site and surrounding areas are mule deer, pronghorn, scaled quail, western rattle snake, bull snake, as well various bird and raptor species. Although black tail prairie dogs have been found in the area, there are no known towns on the site. The affected area can best be categorized as short grass prairie with shallow soils leading down to an arroyo. Some pinon and juniper trees also exist within the affected area as well. Disturbance to the shortgrass prairie habitat is likely to occur due to the proposed action; however this disturbance can be minimized if some recommendations are followed. Care should be taken in the design and construction of access roads to the site to minimize erosion, taking into account proper drainage and sloping of road cuts. Slopes should be seeded with a native seed mix and monitored for successful vegetation establishment. The utilization of current roads should be a priority over constructing new roads. A stockpile of topsoil should be set aside for reclamation purposes. This stockpile should also be temporarily seeded to minimize erosion losses, and then spread over the affected area prior to seeding with native grasses, forbs, and shrubs. It is recommended that livestock be excluded from the site until such time as the site is released and the bond returned. DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES, James B. Martin, Executive Director WILDLIFE COMMISSION, Tim Glenn, Chair • Robert Streeter, Vice Chair • Marie Smith, Secretary Members, David R. Brougham • Dennis Buechler* Dorothea Farris • Allan Jones • John Singletary* Dean Wingfield Ex Officio Members, James B. Martin and John Stulp