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STATE OF COLORADO <br />DIVISION OF RECLAMATION, MINING AND SAFETY <br />Department of Natural Resources <br />1313 Sherman St., Room 215 <br />Denver, Colorado 80203 <br />Phone: (303) 866-3567 <br />FAX: (303) 832-8106 <br />Date: April 12, 2011 <br />Colorado Division of Wildlife <br />Attn: JT Romatzke, Area Wildlife Manager <br />Northwest Regional Office <br />711 Independent Ave. <br />Grand Junction, Colorado 81505 <br />RE: Roadside Mine Permit No.C-1981-041 <br />Adequacy Review Response <br />Technical Revision No. 60 (TR-60) <br />Dear Mr. Romatzke: <br />COLORADO <br />D I V I S I ON OF <br />RECLAMATION <br />MINING <br />SAFETY <br />John W. Hickenlooper <br />Governor <br />Mike King <br />Executive Director <br />Loretta E. Pirieda <br />Director <br />Thank you for taking the time to submit your comments in a letter dated February 10, 2011 about the <br />Roadside Portal Technical Revision Application No. 60 (TR-60). The Division has reviewed your <br />letter and has the following comments. <br />Your concern about the quality of wildlife habitat on the Snowcap Coal property being affected <br />because of "a blanket change to the revegetation reclamation standards" is understandable. The <br />Division of Reclamation Mining and Safety (Division) is also concerned about the vegetation quality <br />and the quantity of cheatgrass production at the Roadside Mine, but we feel that Snowcap Coal <br />Company (SCC) has taken the appropriate steps to eradicate the cheatgrass at the mine. <br />SCC has consulted with numerous professionals who are familiar with the ecology of the Roadside <br />Mine and the treatment of cheatgrass. As a result of these consultations, the area with the greatest <br />density of cheatgrass, the North Decline, was treated in 2005 and again in 2006. The area was then <br />hydro seeded in early 2007. The treatment and interseeding had little effect on the cheatgrass density <br />after four seasons. SCC has documented their efforts in their Adequacy Review Response letter dated <br />March 23, 2011 (attached). <br />I visited the site on March 31 of this year to see firsthand the dominance of cheatgrass in the <br />revegetated areas, its increasing presence in the reference areas and surrounding undisturbed areas. <br />Warm and cool season grasses represent a very small fraction of the grass production and cheatgrass <br />dominated the understory of each sagebrush and rubber rabbitbrush shrub. With that said, the woody <br />plant standard of 800 stems/acre will remain and it looks as though that standard will be easily <br />obtained. <br />Office of Office of <br />Mined Land Reclamation Denver • Grand Junction • Durango Active and Inactive Mines