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TAB 4 <br />PREMINING LAND USE <br />Executive Summary <br />Regional land use patterns are oriented in three relatively distinct bands. Irrigated cropland is <br />closely associated with the floodplain of the Yampa River. To the south, non - irrigated crops are <br />grown on the sloping upland surfaces. The area nearest the Seneca II -W Mine is mostly hilly <br />and mountainous terrain and used primarily as rangeland for sheep and cattle and wildlife <br />habitat. <br />The region provides both seasonal and permanent habitat for a variety of wildlife species. While <br />some competition for forage exists between big game species (mainly elk and mule deer) and <br />domestic livestock, this is limited due to the difference in primary grazing seasons. <br />This region is also part of the Big Game Management Unit #13 under the Colorado Division of <br />Parks and Wildlife. Harvest reports for 1976, 1978, 1980, and 1981 indicate that hunting <br />pressure (number of hunters) has generally been increasing but has not exceeded capacity as <br />success (kill) rates remain high. While success rates for Routt County in general are higher than <br />state average, they are lower than those for Unit # 13. <br />Land use contiguous to the Mine Permit area is predominantly rangeland or associated <br />subcategories. Any areas containing alluvial deposits are small, elongated parcels of land subject <br />to frequent flooding and many times cut by uncrossable incised stream beds, all of which reduce <br />the opportunities for farming - related land uses. Due to the absence of significant farm- related <br />uses, winter use problems arising from conflicts between stored domestic forage and feeding <br />wildlife which characterize other parts of the state are relatively minor in the immediate vicinity <br />of the study area. <br />The current mine permit area covers approximately 3,878.3 acres. Prior to the onset of <br />RN-06 1 Revised 10/11 <br />