2012-07-05_INSPECTION - C1994082

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Field Evaluation Mine Site Inspection Mine Name: Yoast Mine Permittee: Peabody Coal Company Permit ID #: C- 1994 -082 Inspection Date: June 6, 2012 8:45 — 12:15 Weather Conditions: Warm, dry, breezy, clear skies Participants: Christine Belka, Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) ID# 182 Sandy Brown, Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety (DRMS) Roy Karo, Seneca Coal Company This was a partial oversight inspection conducted in conjunction with a special focus evaluation. The special focus evaluation will assess Reclamation Success under the Division of Reclamation Mining and Safety (DRMS) Program. Specifically, OSM is evaluating the success of wildlife habitat post mining land uses on reclaimed areas. Yoast is a reclaimed surface mine with a post mining land use of rangeland and wildlife habitat. Seneca Coal Company (SCC) has prioritized reestablishing native plant and tree species including aspen, box elder, willow, chokecherry, and cottonwood in the permit area. To that end, SCC has created multiple tree and shrub clumps which they fence to exclude wildlife (see photo7488). This allows vegetation to establish without being browsed by wildlife. While counterintuitive to supporting a wildlife post mining land use, this promotes successful tree establishment and those established trees provide a source stock for further establishment of those species. Fences could be removed after the trees have grown to a point where wildlife browsing would not be detrimental. However, SCC will leave the fences and landowners will decide whether or not to remove them after the bond has been released. Shrubs and trees will continue to establish from those sources whether fences remain in place or not. DRMS has approved Pond 10 for permanent retention as a wildlife and stock pond. At the time of inspection, sheep were grazing near the pond, mallards and brown ducks were loafing in the pond (see photo 7489), and small song birds and ground squirrels were utilizing the area. The "Neck Pit" area was aerially seeded in 2005 or 2006, with great success. Vegetation is diverse and provides good cover. A yellow bellied marmot was observed in the area. A low -lying area that collects water is reportedly a favorite wallowing area for elk, though none were observed today. Several small birds were observed in the area including red winged blackbirds, mourning doves, and sparrows. A sparrow nest on site contained four eggs (see photo 7490). The old slide area in the Neck Pit provides landscape diversity and cover. This is favorable for wildlife. Basin wild rye, a species that provides good cover for deer, is doing well throughout the permit area.