Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Roca Honda Mine

Chapter 3. Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences
Effects to Historic Properties
This section discusses the types of effects anticipated to historic properties within the region of
influence from the action alternatives. Later sections discuss the numbers of historic properties
anticipated to be affected by physical impacts by alternative.
Although operational and reclamation activities would generally occur within those areas
previously impacted by construction, there still remains the potential for effects to historic
properties, as described below. Many of the properties identified within the APEs are located
away from the proposed areas of construction, operations, and reclamation, and would not be
affected by the proposed project. Effects and the likelihood of their occurrence were generally
determined based on the proximity of the property to mine facilities or infrastructure, proximity
to construction, operations, or reclamation activities, and the presence of workers in an area.
Construction
Ground disturbance from construction activities would result in direct physical damage to historic
properties. These affected historic properties would include archaeological sites and the Mt.
Taylor TCP. In addition, there is the potential for physical damage to buried archaeological
resources that have not yet been identified or recorded, but could be discovered during earthmoving
activities. The direct physical damage to historic properties would be permanent and
range from moderate to severe in magnitude.
Construction could result in indirect physical damage to historic properties. Construction of
facilities and infrastructure, compaction of soils, and removal of vegetation would likely alter
erosion patterns, which in turn could physically damage properties. While RHR would implement
standard best management practices to reduce the amount of new erosion, with the level of
earthwork planned for the project, it remains likely that not all new erosion patterns could be
prevented. The level of construction activities being undertaken at the mine site and the increased
number of workers present would increase the chances that inadvertent physical damage would
occur to historic properties that are planned for avoidance. Increased development and activity in
the area would likely result in an increase in the number of people accessing the region of
influence, which could also result in an increase in vandalism and illegal artifact collecting at
historic properties. The effects from erosion, inadvertent damage, vandalism, and illegal artifact
collecting would be permanent and could range from negligible to severe.
Construction of the mine facilities would result in damage to physical features within the Mt.
Taylor TCP’s setting that contribute to its historic significance. The natural and cultural landscape
in and surrounding the proposed project area contributes to the context and historical significance
of the Mt. Taylor TCP. These changes would include the removal of vegetation, disruption to
wildlife, changes to landforms, and physical damage to archaeological resources. This damage to
the features within the setting would range from long term to permanent, and would be moderate
to severe in magnitude.
Construction of mine facilities and infrastructure and earth-moving activities would introduce
modern facilities and activity into a largely undeveloped landscape that retains a substantial
amount of its historic natural and cultural integrity. This would result in the introduction of visual
and audible elements out of character with the Mt. Taylor TCP. These elements would derive
from modern facilities, vegetation removal, dust, machinery, and traffic. Although there are some
modern intrusions into this landscape already, the scenery and viewshed currently retain the
350 DEIS for Roca Honda Mine, Cibola National Forest