West Mojave Plan FEIR/S - Desert Managers Group

lives at the site in a trailer and is operating under a plan of operations. Club activities arediscussed in more detail in Appendix P.3.4.3.6 Reclamation and Restoration ProceduresReclamation: This includes all activities associated with rehabilitating disturbed areasand generally returning it to a second, best productive use. In regulations under 43 CFR 3809.5,reclamation means taking measures required by this subpart following disturbance of public landcaused by operations to meet applicable performance standards and achieve conditions requiredby BLM at the conclusion of operations.Reclamation includes those activities associated with recontouring waste piles, reshapingpit walls and other excavations, removal of permanent or temporary facilities or structures, soilplacement, soil preparation, and in some cases, reseeding and revegetation. Reclamation mayalso include measures to enhance previously disturbed areas or modify areas to conditions thatpreviously existed. Habitat restoration may be required. This normally entails inventory andconsideration of the desired plant community, as well as development of measures and timeframes to assure recovery.Operations under reclamation may utilize the same equipment to affect the reclamationrequirements specified in the plan of operations where dirt work is needed, especially for thesmall level of operations examined under this assessment. Timeframes for completion ofreclamation are considerably shorter than the length of time to create the disturbance. However,monitoring to assure complete reclamation or restoration may take many years, and access to thesite as well as maintenance of facilities associated with reclamation maintenance (e.g., wateringsystems, water sampling sites/wells) are required to be in place during the period.Restoration: This generally means to return the disturbed area to a condition that existedprior to surface disturbing activities. Elements typically include recontouring the surface to apre-existing or natural shape, revegetation or the ability to revegetate with species native to thearea. It may include placement of vegetation in the same locations that existed prior to conductof operations, and re-channeling stream drainages to pre-existing locations and conditions.3.4.3.7 State Designated Regionally Significant Construction Aggregate ResourcesSMARA identifes a program for the classification and designation of regionallysignificant construction aggregate resources. When an area of the state is classified, the StateGeologist transmits a classification report to the State Mining and Geology Board (SMGB) andto the lead agency (e.g the county where the lands identified are located). After receiving thisclassification information, the SMGB may designate specific geographic areas of the State ashaving “statewide or regional significance” for their mineral resources. Pub. Res. Code Section2790. In designating an area, the SMGB takes into account “the adverse effects that might resultfrom premature development of incompatible land uses, the advantages that might be achievedfrom extraction of minerals of the area, and the specific goals and policies to protect against thepremature incompatible development of the area.”Chapter 3 3-238