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3.6.2.7 Cropland Management <br />0 <br />Following initial cropland restoration, a local farmer may be allowed to farm the <br />reclaimed cropland. Trapper Mine however, will maintain surface control and <br />approve all management practices on these areas until such time as they are shown <br />to be successfully revegetated and bond release is achieved. <br />Proper post-mine management of reclaimed farmland during this interim will be <br />assured by lease agreement between Trapper Mine and the farmers. Provisions con- <br />tained in the agreement will include: 1) the right to cancel any agreement with <br />the farmer if abuse to reclaimed areas occurs, 2) the right to require, and <br />expect, practical soil conservation farming practices, i.e. contour furrowing, <br />crop rotation or summer fallowing, minimum tillage, etc., and 3) the farmer's <br />agreement to use methods, where directed, on a portion(s) of the reclaimed crop- <br />land that will allow for a statistical evaluation of cropland production. <br />The reclaimed cropland areas are seeded to perennial crops, i.e., grass or <br />alfalfa. Such a practice reduces fugitive dust, conserves topsoil, improves the <br />watershed, and increases soil organic matter. This procedure is also recommended <br />by the Craig Soil Conservation Service (Hill, 1980) for reducing the loss of top- <br />soil which results from the present farming practices on slopes. <br />Monitoring methods for comparison of production between mined and unmined farm- <br />lands is discussed in Section 4.5. <br />3.6.3 Rangeland <br />The ecosystem comprising most of the Williams Fork Mountains is mountain shrub. <br />In northwestern Colorado, this type interfaces with stands of big sagebrush asso- <br />ciated with various species of grasses at its lower limits and with aspen commun- <br />ities at higher elevations. <br />U <br />3-80 <br />REVISED FEB 13 '87