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Post - it® Fax Note 7671 <br />Date6_ <br />pages ■ <br />To bC 0 %- ki <br />From 4//,v? <br />l j 0 � gvt 6 j c <br />-r <br />Co. /Dept. , <br />Avsk x t, at <br />Co. <br />Phone # <br />Phone # <br />Fax # C/ 7 z 5 --,_ 9, <br />3 7 <br />Fax # <br />DIVISION OF MINERALS AND GEOLOGY <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 />June 24, 1999 <br />Mr. Roger Day <br />AmerAlia, Inc. <br />P.O. Box 1330 <br />Rifle, CO 81650 <br />STATE OF <br />RE: Wildlife Issues, Rock School Lease Experimental Nahcolite Mine Project, <br />File No. M -99 -051 <br />Dear Mr. Day: <br />Bill Owens <br />Governor <br />Please find enclosed a letter from the Colorado Division of Wildlife providing comments on and <br />recommendations for the Rock School Lease Project. Rule 6.4.20(18) of the Hard Rock/Metal Mining <br />Regulations of the Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Board requires AmerAlia to describe measures to <br />minimize or prevent harm or damage to wildlife species and habitat and to adequately describe mitigation <br />measures to ensure that there is no overall net loss of critical or important wildlife habitat consistent with <br />DOW recommendations. This letter is intended to provide guidance on how AmerAlia may incorporate <br />DOW's recommendations into the reclamation permit application for the Rock School Lease Project. <br />D I V I S I O N O F <br />MINERALS <br />St <br />GEOLOGY <br />RECLAMATION <br />MINING•SAFETY <br />Greg E. Watcher <br />Executive Director <br />Michael 8. Long <br />Division Director <br />1. Provide a plan to enhance mule deer habitat off the mine site at the rate of at least 2.5 acres for each acre <br />physically disturbed on the mine site. This plan should be developed cooperatively with DOW and <br />BLM and incorporated into the reclamation permit application. The plan should provide a general <br />description of the type of habitat enhancement that will occur and an estimate of the per acre cost for the <br />off -site enhancement. The plan should specify that the locations for the off -site enhancement projects <br />will be determined in cooperation with the DOW and the Bureau of Land Management. AmerAlia <br />should provide a commitment as a binding condition of the reclamation permit that the off -site <br />enhancement work will be completed in advance of on -site disturbance on a per acre basis. Otherwise, <br />sufficient funds must be included in the reclamation bond to complete the off -site habitat enhancement. <br />2. Provide a commitment to work cooperatively with DOW and BLM to identify and avoid wherever <br />possible pinyon - juniper stands that are identified as high quality habitat and to plant pinyon juniper trees <br />at the time of reclamation into those high quality stands that cannot be avoided. Provide an estimate of <br />the number of trees that may have to be planted at the time of reclamation so that a cost factor for tree <br />planting can be included in the amount of required bond. If any ponderosa pine will be cleared for the <br />project, please break out a separate estimate on number of these trees so a cost can be estimated for <br />their replacement. <br />3. The Division of Minerals and Geology (DMG) concurs with the DOW recommendation to plant shrubs <br />on approximately 20 percent of the disturbed area without competition for available moisture from <br />herbaceous. A plan for shrub establishment is described in item 1 1 .c. of the DMG's adequacy letter <br />