Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Roca Honda Mine

Chapter 3. Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences
gathering, pinon nut gathering, livestock grazing, and recreational activities. These activities are
also considered to have no to minimal impact on cultural resources. Tribes consulted about these
projects generally have few concerns, as the project are seen as regenerative. Because of this,
these projects and activities are not considered further in this cumulative analysis.
The type of projects considered in this analysis are those designed and proposed by private
corporations or utilities, many of which were or would have to be permitted or licensed by the
Federal or State government, and result in construction of facilities or disturbance beyond a few
acres. These projects are usually much larger than the projects described above, and because they
are designed by private interests, the focus of design is to facilitate the project, not avoid impacts
to cultural resources. In the Mt. Taylor region, due to the prehistoric and historic patterns of
extensive and intensive land use, these projects are likely to have some level of impact to cultural
resources. The projects that require a Federal or State license undergo some level of analysis to
identify environmental impacts and appropriate mitigation as part of compliance with a variety of
environmental regulations. However, even for these projects, impacts often still remain to cultural
resources, some of them significant. These projects, which are described in detail in chapter 2,
include current and future uranium exploration (i.e., drilling), past and future uranium mines,
current mine reclamation, and past and future uranium mills.
These cumulative projects occurred or are planned to occur on or in the vicinity of Mt. Taylor.
Based on the resource investigations, tribal consultation, and consultation with consulting parties
conducted to identify cultural resources in the physical and setting APEs for the proposed RHR
mine, similar cultural resources and traditional cultural practices would be expected in the areas
of these past, current, and future projects. These projects, when taken together, have grounddisturbing
activities, facility development, ore extraction, dewatering, and surface activities
associated with them that are similar to those planned for the RHR mine. Based on similar
resources and similar activities, it is reasonable to assume that the impacts that occurred due to
the past projects, and would occur as a result of the current and future projects, would be similar
in type, magnitude, and duration to those of the proposed RHR mine. These impacts would likely
include direct and indirect physical impacts to archaeological sites and natural resources that are
imbued with cultural value; impacts to the physical composition and visual and audible
characteristics of resource settings; and impacts to the Mt. Taylor TCP and its setting through
physical damage, changes to the landscape, and changes to the visual and audible characteristics
of that landscape.
Four archaeological sites would be subject to direct physical damage from either of the action
alternatives and would likely undergo data recovery excavations prior to being impacted. Indirect
impacts from erosion, inadvertent damage, or vandalism would also likely occur to some extent
and may be mitigated through data recovery excavations. Site destruction and data recovery
excavation have likely occurred in past cumulative projects and will likely occur for future
projects. From a scientific perspective, these four sites are not considered to be unique, and many
other sites like them occur throughout the physical and setting APEs. The information contained
in the four sites, which is what makes the sites significant under Criterion D, would be collected
prior to damaging the sites and would contribute to the knowledge about those sites and the
prehistory of the region. Data recovery efforts would not exhaust regional information potential
overall and others sites like the four would be available for excavation and study in the future.
Due to the density of archaeological sites throughout the region, this is also likely true for past
and future projects. Thus, when considering the scientific value of archaeological site
information, the cumulative effect of the Roca Honda Mine project would be minor.
DEIS for Roca Honda Mine, Cibola National Forest 359