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April 20, 2013 <br />Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety <br />1313 Sherman Street. Room 215 <br />Denver. CO 80203 <br />Re: Opposition to the Proposed Uncompahgre Pit (Permit File No. M- 2013 -007) <br />Dear Sir: <br />The city of Montrose and Montrose County are largely supported by the tourist industry. The <br />Uncompahgre Valley stretching south out of Montrose is by far the most scenic route in or out of our <br />town. Highway 550 south, which connects the town of Montrose to the tourism reliant communities of <br />Ridgway, Ouray, Silverton, Durango and Telluride, runs directly between the proposed Uncompahgre Pit <br />(File No. M- 2013 -007) and the Uncompahgre River. This is one reason why our county's master plan <br />does not designate this area for gravel extraction. <br />The valley south of Montrose is currently occupied by farms, both large and small, and residential <br />acreages of varying sizes. The property between the proposed pit and the Uncompahgre River on both <br />sides of Hwy 550 is filled with private residences. The mesa area north of the proposed pit, accessed by <br />Solar Road, is subdivided and occupied as well as the area immediately to the south, which is accessed by <br />Government Springs Road. <br />A massive industrial pursuit of this size seems wholly incompatible with the current land use in the valley <br />as well as being contrary to the county's master plan. The proposed pit would virtually gut one of the <br />small mesas which lie just above the valley floor between south end of the Uncompahgre Plateau. the <br />Uncompahgre River, and the undeveloped areas just north of the Cimarron Ridge to the east. The gash it <br />would cut, through this irreplaceable terrain and well - established migration corridor, would be over a mile <br />long north to south and nearly a mile wide. <br />Anyone who lives south of town can attest to the amount of wildlife in the area. A simple count of the <br />deer on the highway any given evening is a testament to the fact that the entire valley south of town is a <br />very active wildlife corridor. Recently this particular section of the highway, which parallels the proposed <br />pit, has imposed a lowered speed limit from 5pm to7am from October 1" to June 1 for this very reason. <br />RECEIVED <br />APR 242013 <br />/Division of Reclamation, <br />Mining & Safety <br />