2008-08-11_REVISION - C1992080 (8)

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Vegetation The permit area consists of a mosaic of pinon juniper, mountain shrub, old field and cultivated dryland wheat communities. The mountain shrub community is found primarily on the lower slopes and drainages and is dominated by Gambel's oak. The pinon juniper community occurs on higher areas and in locations with shallow soils. In addition to pinon pine and Utah juniper, other common shrubs include Utah serviceberry, Gambel's oak, true mountain mahogany, cliff Fendlerbush, and squaw apple. Understory plants are relatively sparse. Dominant shrubs in the old field community are rabbitbrush, broom snakeweed, big sagebrush, and true mountain mahogany. The dominant grasses are cheatgrass and a wheatgrass hybrid. Soils The soils within the pen-nit area consist of shallow to very deep clays and clay loams which are suitable as a plant growth medium. The largest soils quantities will consist of a Falfa clay loam and some Zyme- Rock outcrop complex. The Ustollic Haplargrids Series can be salvaged; however, it occurs sporadically in pockets of sandstone and is sandy, gravelly, and cobbly. Some Ustic ton: iorthents soils exist but only in depths of 3 inches or less and will be diluted with broken sandstone and therefore cannot be reliably stripped. Wildlife and Land Use There has been no grazing on the site since 1979. The current land uses are wheat farming, wildlife use, and recreation. The pennitee has been approved for the entire site to become commercial (equestrian center), recreation (hiking trail and golf course), and residential. La Plata County has approved the initial plans for the development of the Ewing Mesa subdivision. The Colorado Division of Wildlife considers the proposed permit area to be a part of the region's critical winter range for deer and elk. Descrivtion of the Reclamation Plan Most of the Carbon Junction Mine permit area was reclaimed in 2006. Tasks included backfilling, regrading, topsoil replacement, and seeding. The approved reclamation plan in the permit application separately addresses the following three areas to be reclaimed: 1) the North Pit, 2) the haul road to the North Pit, the Permanently Reclaimed Spoils Area, and Topsoil Stockpile # 2, and 3) reconstruction of Carbon Junction Canyon. North Pit Reclamation Coal was removed from the steep dip-slope in the approximately 8-acre North Pit area. Removal of overburden and coal exposed the Pictured Cliffs sandstone in the bottom of the pit. The mine excavation was bounded on the east by an unmined flat bench area which dropped off to the east to a steep slope extending down to the bottom of Carbon Junction Canyon. Spoil was distributed (downspoiled) on this steep slope. The reclamation plan for North Pit includes the following tasks: 1. Return as much downspoiled fill as possible from the slope to North Pit bench area which is located uphill from this fill. Backfill the bench area and sandstone scarp with the downspoiled material. 7