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• 2.05.5 Postmining Land Uses <br />(1) Surface Coal Mining Activities -Not applicable. <br />(2) Underground Mining Activities <br />(a) The premining land use of the area to be disturbed by the surface facilities <br />is rangeland, wildlife habitat and industrial. The postmining land use of the <br />area will be the same, rangeland, wildlife habitat and industrial. The <br />premining land use of the area to be disturbed by the loadout is cropland, <br />pastureland and industrial. The postmining land use of the loadout area will <br />be the same, cropland, pastureland and industrial. <br />Most of the area to be disturbed is rangeland and wildlife habitat. The two <br />major vegetation communities to be disturbed are Juniper Woodland and <br />Mixed Shrub. The absolute cover of perennial grasses and grasslikes is <br />0.3% and 2.4% for these two communities respectively (1995 Baseline <br />Vegetation Report tables B1 & B2). <br />• The final reclamation of these areas will provide habitat suitable for domestic <br />livestock and wildlife. In order to enhance the habitat, the reclamation plan <br />calls for planting a grass dominated seedmix in order to balance the grass <br />forage production against the shrub cover needs of wildlife. <br />The Division of Wildlife's letter dated December 21, 1995 indicates the <br />proposed disturbed area is in critical winter range for the deer and elk which <br />are found in Game Management Unit 521 (Volume III, Exhibit 9). It is <br />assumed the critical winter range is generally defined as the south facing <br />slopes in this area. The applicant owns some 500 to 800 acres of south <br />facing slopes in this area depending on how such a slope is defined (S'/z <br />Section 10, NYz Section 15, SEYa Section 9, N'/zNE'/< Section 16) . Most of <br />this area has the Juniper Woodland and Mixed Shrub type vegetation. <br />The proposed disturbed area at the mine site is in the 40 to 50 acre range <br />which is about 10% of the south facing habitat owned by the applicant. By <br />restoring the disturbed area to a grassland type vegetation type, the <br />. rangeland and wildl'sfe habitat wi44 be improved. <br />PR-06 2.05 - 59 - 8/01 <br />/~ PPRo ~Ep <br />I~IS/Di <br />