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Varra Companies, Inc. <br />Office of Special Projects <br />8120 Gage Street Frederick, Colorado 80516 Telephone (970) 353-8310 Fax(970)353-4047 <br />A-3. The submitted information also indicates that there are other potential <br />impacts to depression of the groundwater elevation, specifically with regard to <br />vegetation in the area. It appears there may be cottonwoods located adjacent to <br />the river which would be impacted by the drawdown from dewatering the pits. <br />In that these trees are likely critical winter roosting habitat for raptors, the <br />applicant should submit information to the Division committing to measures to <br />protect these trees from the impacts of dewatering. Additionally, the applicant <br />should submit information to the Division regarding other areas that may be <br />negatively impacted by drawdown of groundwater, for example, any sub- <br />irrigated pasture in the proposed cone of depression, and measures it will take <br />to mitigate these effects. <br />Please refer to A-2, above and CGRS correspondence of 15 February 2011, as <br />included with this submittal. Further, there are no mature cottonwood trees or <br />species of consequence of any age within the parcel or lower elevations <br />surrounding the parcel, including the streamside of the Cache La Poudre River. <br />They appear to be predominantly and approximately 30-40 year old weed <br />species of Chinese elm. Ample roosting habitat surrounds the parcel where <br />mature and dead cottonwoods exist. Many of the dead cottonwood occurs on <br />adjacent lands where extraction activities are not occurring and appear to be the <br />preferred condition for bald eagles and other birds of prey. <br />Mortality of what are essentially over-mature cottonwood groves will accelerate <br />over adjacent lands with time, since the development of state, federal, and <br />municipal dams and reservoirs have ended the natural scouring of live rivers <br />within Colorado, essential for the succession and renewal of cottonwood stands. <br />Most of the dead cottonwoods are also likely the result the recent seven year <br />drought, or land fill activity over their root systems which is occurring over the <br />opposing lands, where these unprotected species were not removed by the <br />current uses. Regardless, there are no cottonwoods or other mature species of <br />trees whose root zones are within reach of the underlying ground or surface <br />waters. <br />Varra Companies, Inc. correspondence of 23 February 2011 to the Colorado Office of Mined Land Reclamation 13 <br />(OMLR) in reply to OMLR correspondence of 4 October 2010 - Western Sugar Reclamation Land <br />Development Project - M-2010-049.