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May 2,2012 <br />COLORADO PARKS & WILDLIFE <br />Steamboat Springs Service Center <br />925 Weiss Drive, P.O. Box 775777 • Steamboat Springs, Colorado 80487 <br />Phone (970) 871 -2855 • FAX (970) 871 -2853 <br />wildlife.state.co.us • parks.state.co.us <br />Jerry Nettleton <br />Environmental Manager <br />Twentymile Coal Company, LLC <br />29515 RCR 27 <br />Oak Creek, CO 80467 <br />RE: 2012 WMD Exploration Program (MR12 -261) <br />C �� IED Vse-c Yed b r1 <br />. � � <br />;1'( 2 4 ni? <br />;se ciacnetion , <br />Jt� is <br />Mining and Safety <br />Recently, Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) received a request from Twentymile Coal <br />Company, LLC for allowance to continue their exploratory drilling operations by drilling and <br />logging up to 5 additional drillholes (TCW008, 009, 010, 011, and 012), in T5N, R87W, Section <br />35. These five drill holes would be located south of RCR 27 and Fish Creek and east of RCR 37. <br />Access to all five proposed drilling sites will be accessible from existing county or ranch roads, <br />limiting the amount of new disturbance required. Additionally, it is anticipated that site activity <br />(including pad construction, drilling, logging, sealing, and regrading) for each location will be <br />limited to a period of 2 -3 weeks each. <br />A past condition of approval from Routt County for this type of proposal was that drilling would <br />occur outside the time period of March 15 to July 1 in order to protect Columbian sharp- tailed <br />grouse nesting activity (minimize the potential threat of nest abandonment). Since two active <br />Columbian sharp- tailed grouse leks are located within a mile of the proposed development <br />(within mapped production area for both leks), CPW staff would again ask for this stipulation. <br />CPW believes this schedule should allow for timely completion of this project during the summer <br />and fall of 2012, while providing adequate protection to the local Columbian sharp - tailed grouse <br />population. <br />Additionally, since the habitat surrounding the proposed drilling sites seems to be dominated by <br />mature sagebrush (important for nesting grouse), CPW would ask that the area be reclaimed <br />utilizing similar native vegetation, including sagebrush in the seed mixture. <br />Thanks again for the opportunity to comment on this proposal. If you have any further questions <br />regarding this matter, please contact District Wildlife Manager Danielle Domson at 970 -846- <br />3056. <br />Sine <br />James M. Haskins <br />Area Wildlife Manager <br />Steamboat Springs, CO <br />CC: R. Velarde, Area File, Domson. <br />STATE OF COLORADO <br />John W. Hickenlooper, Govemor • Mike King, Executive Director, Department of Natural Resources <br />Rick D. Cables, Director, Colorado Parks and Wildlife <br />Parks and Wildlife Commission: David R. Brougham • Gary Butterworth, Vice- Chair • Chris Castilian <br />Dorothea Farris • Tim Glenn, Chair • Allan Jones • Bill Kane • Gaspar Perricone • Jim Pribyl • John Singletary <br />Mark Smith, Secretary • Robert Streeter • Lenna Watson • Dean Wingfield <br />Ex Officio Members: Mike King and John Salazar <br />