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The Rocky Mountain Fen Research Project (Project) is a cooperative public /private study that seeks to <br />explore the feasibility of extracting fen wetland soils and vegetation for transplantation to the site of a <br />damaged fen, and monitoring changes that occur over time to determine whether the form and function of the <br />unique habitat type can be maintained and perpetuated at the receiver site. <br />Participants in the study include: representatives from Colorado Mountain College's Natural Resource <br />Management Program; the City of Aurora; the Lake County Board of Commissioners, Dr. Brad Johnson, <br />PWS, of Johnson Environmental Consulting; The Pueblo Board of Water Works; Conlin Associates <br />Resource Planners; Frontier Environmental Services; the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; the U.S. Army <br />Corps of Engineers; the U.S. EPA; and Ross Bethel, Water Engineer. <br />1. Legal Location <br />The extraction site is located proximal to Corske Creek within the contiguous boundaries of the Hallenbeck <br />Ranch, located in Sections 4, 5, and 6 of Township 11 South, Range 80 West, of the Sixth Principal <br />Meridian, and Section 33 of Township 10 South, Range 80 West of the Sixth Principal Meridian, in Lake <br />County, Colorado (See: Map 1). The Hallenbeck Ranch is wholly owned in fee simple interest by the City of <br />Aurora, and is located approximately 1.5 miles north of Twin Lakes, and less than 10 miles south west of the <br />City of Leadville, Colorado (See attached Map 2, General Location) <br />2. Property Ownership <br />5. On Site Use <br />Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Board Policy <br />Need for a Reclamation Permit <br />The Hallenbeck Ranch, where all material extraction will occur, is held in fee simple ownership by the City <br />of Aurora, by and through its Utility Enterprise. <br />3. Materials Extracted <br />The material to be extracted will be peat soils from an existing wetland. <br />4. Disposition of Extracted Materials <br />The peat will be extracted from properties owned by the City of Aurora in Section 4, Township 11S, Range <br />80W. The City is a partner in the Rocky Mountain Fen Research Project. The material will be transported <br />approximately 2 miles east to the Hayden Homestead in Section 3, Township 11S, Range 80W, which <br />includes a previously mined fen (See Map 3, Area in detail). The Hayden Homestead is an off - campus <br />classroom of Colorado Mountain College and includes a wetland study area. The Homestead was donated to <br />Colorado Mountain College by the City of Aurora, and an MOU will formally designate both properties as <br />elements of the Rocky Mountain Fen Research Project. The College administers all funds and contracts for <br />the Project, and students participate in the research studies to gain hands -on, experiential education in <br />wetland soils, hydrology, geomorphology, vegetation, and delineation. <br />The peat soils will be transplanted to a previously mined peat extraction site on the Hayden Homestead, <br />within the Project Area in Section 33, for study of the potential for using transplantation as a means of <br />restoring damaged fens and mitigating fen wetland disturbances. <br />