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AN APPLICATION OF GAP DATA

AN APPLICATION OF GAP DATA. THE WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINTOP MINING ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT. SOME BACKGROUND. WEST VIRGINIA THE WEST VIRGINIA GAP PROJECT MOUNTAINTOP MINING AND THE MOUNTAINTOP MINING ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT. WEST VIRGINIA. MOST MOUNTAINOUS STATE IN THE NATION

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AN APPLICATION OF GAP DATA

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  1. AN APPLICATION OF GAP DATA THE WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINTOP MINING ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT

  2. SOME BACKGROUND • WEST VIRGINIA • THE WEST VIRGINIA GAP PROJECT • MOUNTAINTOP MINING AND THE MOUNTAINTOP MINING ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT

  3. WEST VIRGINIA • MOST MOUNTAINOUS STATE IN THE NATION • SECOND-MOST RURAL STATE • OVER 80% COVERED WITH MATURE FOREST • LEAST FRAGMENTED LARGE AREA OF MATURE TEMPERATE DECIDOUS FOREST IN THE WORLD • SECOND IN TOTAL COAL PRODUCTION

  4. WEST VIRGINIA GAP • DATA DEVELOPMENT COMPLETED IN 2000 • REPORT COMPLETED EARLY IN 2002 • RESULTS RECENTLY RELEASED BY USGS ON CD • UTILIZED GAP METHODS WITH CERTAIN ADJUSTMENTS

  5. INCORPORATED IMPORTANT POINT DATA BASES INTO OUR MODELING – CAVES AND SPRINGS • DEVELOPED AGE BASED CLASSIFICATION FOR FORESTED AREAS

  6. WV GAP (CONT.) • ONGOING EFFORTS TO UPDATE AND IMPROVE • WEST VIRGINIA LAND STATUS AND TRENDS PROJECT WILL UPDATE ON A THREE YEAR CYCLE • WORKING WITH USFS AND WVDNR TO IMPROVE AND EXPAND COVER TYPING TO SUPPORT BETTER WILDLIFE MODELING

  7. PLANS TO REFLY A % OF VIDEOGRAPHY SAMPLE POINTS WITH AN ADAR DIGITAL MULTI-SPECTRAL CAMERA SYSTEM FOR MAINTAINING PLOTS AS PERMANENT RECORD PLOTS • PLANS TO IMPLEMENT A SYSTEM OF ON-THE-GROUND PHOTO POINT MONITORING POINTS AS PERMANENT MONITORING PLOTS • WORKING TO COORDINATE WITH FIA

  8. MOUNTAINTOP MINING • SURFACE MINING METHOD THAT BEGAN IN THE LATE 1960’S • DEVELOPED FOR ECONOMIC REASONS THOUGH THERE HAVE BEEN ATTEMPTS TO LINK TO ENVIRONMENTAL, LAND USE AND COMMUNITY BENEFITS • REGULATED BY USDI AND STATE PROGRAMS AS A SPECIAL MINING TYPE

  9. THE MOUNTAINTOP MINING ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT • A COALITION OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND CITIZENS GROUPS SUED USEPA, USDI-OSM, USACE, AND WVDEP CONTENDING THAT CURRENT MOUNTAINTOP MINING REGULATIONS WERE VIOLATING THE CLEAN WATER ACT • FEDERAL COURT TEMPORARILY HALTED MOUNTAINTOP MINING AND MANDATED AN ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT

  10. SCOPING PROCESS AND ADDITIONAL ACTIONS MANDATED DEVELOPMENT OF A COMPREHENSIVE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT • WILDLIFE • LAND USE AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT • HYDROLOGY • RECREATION AND SCENERY • SOCIO-ECONOMICS • HISTORY AND CULTURE

  11. PROCESS NEEDED TO EXAMINE • PAST MINING • CURRENT MINING • POTENTIAL FUTURE MINING • PROCESS WOULD ALSO BE TIERED • FOCUS MINING AREAS • FOCUS WATERSHEDS • AREA-WIDE

  12. EARLY ON TEAM DECIDED TO RELY ON GAP DATA AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE FOR THE AREA-WIDE ASSESSMENTS • BEST MOST CURRENT LAND COVER • NLCD WAS STILL PROBLEMATIC IN TERMS OF MAPPING AND CLASSIFICATION ACCURACY IN A NUMBER OF KEY LAND COVER TYPES • ONLY STEWARDSHIP DATA AVAILABLE • ONLY REGION-WIDE WILDLIFE HABITAT DATA BASE AND MAPPING

  13. THE LAND USE STUDY • DOCUMENT ON-SITE LAND USE IMPACTS • DOCUMENT SITE ADJACENT AND LOCALE IMPACTS • NEEDS • MORE DETAILED LAND USE / LAND COVER • FUTURE LAND USE PROJECTIONS • FUTURE POST-MINING LAND USE SCENARIOS

  14. MORE DETAILED LAND USE DATA • AUGMENT GAP DATA • MORE DETAILED MINING DATA – SATELLITE DATA ONLY CAPTURED POORLY OR UNVEGETATED AREAS • MORE DETAILED DATA ON SMALL COMMUNITIES THAT WERE NOT CAPTURED WITH THE SATELLITE DATA CLASSIFICATION

  15. FUTURE LAND USE PROJECTIONS • PERMITS AND POTENTIAL PERMITS (PLANNED LAND USES) • AREAS SUITABLE FOR FUTURE MINING • POTENTIAL LAND USES OF AREAS SUITABLE FOR FUTURE MINING

  16. FUTURE MINING SCENARIOS • BASED ON GEOLOGY • PAST MINING HISTORY • LEGAL IMPEDIMENTS • DIFFERING INTERPRETATIONS OF THE CLEAN WATER ACT - HIGHLY RESTRICTIVE to - MINIMALLY RESTRICTIVE

  17. POTENTIAL LAND USES FOR POTENTIAL MINED AREAS • CURRENT LAND USE / LAND COVER WITH AUGMENTED DATA • CURRENT AND IMMEDIATE FUTURE LAND USES – UPDATED GAP TO REFLECT THESE CHANGES – CROSSWALKED BETWEEN PERMITS AND GAP COVER TYPES • LOCATED POTENTIAL FUTURE MINE AREAS WITH MINE ECONOMICS AND WATERSED MODELING • APPLIED A GROWTH MODEL (CLARKE UGM) TO PREDICT FUTURE LAND COVERS • ESTIMATED ON-SITE AND ADJACENT LAND USE PATTERNS AND IMPACTS

  18. THE LAND USE STUDY USING GAP DATA • EXAMINED LAND COVER IMPACTS OF PAST MINING • ESTIMATED AND PREDICTED LAND COVER IMPACTS OF CURRENT MINING • MODELED FUTURE MINING AND ESTIMATED ON-SITE AND SITE ADJACENT LAND USE IMPACTS

  19. THE WILDLIFE STUDY UTILIZED THE SAME BASIC METHODS • SPECIES BY SPECIES • SPECIES OF SPECIAL CONCERN • GUILDS AND GROUPINGS OF CONCERN • INFLUENCES OF CURRENT STEWARDSHIP AND LAND PROTECTION PATTERNS

  20. STATUS • MINING HAS AGAIN BEEN HALTED AND RESTARTED • CURRENTLY AN IMPORTANT BATTLE GROUND IN FEDERAL EFFORTS TO MODIFY HOW THE CLEAN WATER ACT IS APPLIED TO MINING

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