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TAB 23 <br /> FISH AND WILDLIFE PLAN <br /> Fish and Wildlife Plan - Nucla Mine <br /> Introduction <br /> The Fish and Wildlife Plan detailed below for the Nucla Mine addresses the concerns <br /> expressed in 30 CFR §780.16 and §816.97 of the Permanent Regulatory Program of the Office <br /> of Surface Mining (OSM) and the Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Board (CMLRB) Regulations <br /> governing surface coal mining. The plan is based on environmental data collected under <br /> the guidance of OSM and CMLRB staff (OSM Meeting, May 25, 1979). The plan is a means of <br /> minimizing the impacts of mining on the wildlife populations of the area and optimizing <br /> the potential for wildlife habitat after mining and reclamation are complete. <br /> The plan centers on wildlife populations. Fish and fish habitat are lacking on the permit <br /> area. Therefore, there will be no direct impact on fish populations as a result of mining <br /> in the permit area. Water runoff and erosion are controlled on the mine site pursuant to <br /> National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permits (Tab 7, Appendix 7-3). <br /> Consequently, there will be no negative impacts on fish populations down-drainage from the <br /> mine site, either during mining or after reclamation is completed. <br /> Finally, the plan is designed to optimize available habitat within the framework of the <br /> overall postmining land use. By optimizing habitat, diversity is stressed. Optimizing <br /> diversity will optimize the available habitat for wildlife species. <br /> Baseline Studies. Baseline studies for vegetation and wildlife were conducted in 1979 <br /> (Mariah, 1979). Development of the scope of work for these studies included consultation <br /> with the Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Division (CMLRD) and OSM. Detailed results of <br /> the studies for the permit area are presented'in Tabs 10 and 11. A brief summary of the <br /> studies follows. <br /> Habitats found on the permit area include: agriculture, grassland, juniper, riparian and <br /> upland sage. A farmstead and associated disturb6d ground are also found in the permit <br /> area. A brief description of each type follows: <br /> 23-1 Revised 11/01/86 <br />