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Year 1 <br />Removal of vegetation and topsoil preceded waste dump establishment in the valley area. <br />Figure C -1 depicts the current dump and pit configurations. A topsoil storage area was <br />established and seeded for erosion control. Within the first year the road to JD -7 <br />underground facility was relocated and the support buildings constructed. Only <br />overburden has been removed from the pit at this time. <br />Year 2 <br />The spoil area will expand. Some ore bearing zones may be encountered with pit <br />expansion but the primary activity will still be overburden removal. <br />Reclamation work will expand to involve the northern pit bench. This steep bench area <br />has a southern exposure classified as a pinion juniper floral group resulting in a very <br />demanding re- vegetation area. <br />Year 3 <br />Ore production and stockpiling will be well underway, carried out simultaneously with <br />top soiling and overburden removal. Pit depth will increase and the spoil area will grow <br />north in this year. <br />South facing pit benches will be expanded but no change in the growth support function <br />is expected. <br />Year 4 <br />Development drilling conducted during years 1 through 4 will quantify potential new <br />reserves on the eastern and southern portions of the lease tract. A decision dependant on <br />ore grade and economic factors will then be made regarding the extraction of ore from <br />newly defined reserves. It is envisioned that underground mining methods would be <br />employed in this instance. A brief summary of drill results will be included in Cotter's <br />annual progress reports. <br />Reclamation work will proceed with little new topsoil capping. A north facing bench <br />will be added under present plans as well as a west facing area in the pit reclamation <br />effort. <br />Year 5 <br />The Phase II southern area of the pit will be the major excavation site in year 5. <br />Overburden will still be deposited in the waste dump area but no new topsoil capping is <br />projected. Due to this fact no new reclamation will be started but rather an intensive <br />assessment of the existing test plots will be undertaken. <br />D -3 <br />