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RULE 2 PERMITS <br />Areas where range condition was rated fair was restricted to the areas near water sources, especially stock <br />ponds. These areas concentrated livestock, commonly leading to localized range deterioration. The <br />remainder of lands within the permit area were and continue to be- in "good" range condition. <br />In most cases, the soils within the permit area currently are being utilized for rangeland purposes with the <br />agronomic usefulness of these soils being limited to usage- as rangeland. Additional information on soils <br />is found in Section 2.04.9. <br />Site specific information on productivity of individual plant communities in the Collom Vegetation Study <br />area can be found in Seciton 2.04.10. <br />Based on information from the Bureau of Land Management, the ability of the vegetation to support <br />domestic animals is broken down as follows: 27.5 acres /AUM (Animal Unit Month) in pinyon juniper <br />vegetation type, seven acres /AUM in sage brush type, 5.5 acres /AUM in mountain shrub type, and 3.5 <br />acres /AUM in the bottomlands that are used for grazing. <br />Hydrological Capability <br />Available ground and surface water supplies in and adjacent to the permit area are limited in quantity and <br />highly variable in quality. No major groundwater discharge points occur in the permit area. Several small <br />seeps do occur as a result of infiltration of snowmelt and rainstorm activity, but these are highly <br />dependent on seasonal precipitation. Groundwater occurrence is very limited in the mining area. <br />Surface water flows are also extremely limited. Two of the surface drainages are intermittent and two are <br />perennial, but yield only slight amounts of water in the post snowmelt runoff period. The semi -arid <br />climate prevailing in the area precludes extensive surface flows and contributes to the highly variable <br />surface water quality found in the permit and adjacent areas. <br />Capability of the Land to Support a Variety of Uses <br />Physical and social constraints at the present time severely limit the variety of uses suitable for lands <br />within the permit area. <br />Alternative Land Uses <br />Because of the hydrologic and soil constraints, there are serious limitations that might be expected if the <br />present land uses of rangeland /fish and wildlife habitat and pastureland are changed to other uses. <br />Aside from edaphic and topographic limitations, residential, industrial, or commercial development <br />appear unlikely due to the remoteness of the permit area from the population centers of Moffat and Rio <br />Blanco counties. Historic population trends in the area reflect a centralization of population in the towns <br />of Craig and Meeker. <br />Recreational opportunities exist in the permit and adjacent areas, primarily involving the hunting of deer <br />and elk. In recent years, land owners adjacent to the permit area have been leasing their lands to hunters <br />in increasing numbers. This trend may continue on lands adjacent to the permit area, but the possibility <br />for recreation on the permit area, as long as mining activities are on- going, is highly unlikely due to <br />problems involved with safety and potential vandalism. <br />Collom - Rule 2, Page 19 Revision Date: 1/23/09 <br />Revision No.: PR -03 <br />