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Tomichi and Kebler AML Physical Safety Closures #63911

The physical closure of 24 abandoned, inactive mine features such as open adits and shafts which pose the greatest physical hazard to the public. The closures include actions to restore, reclaim, abate, control, or prevent the adverse effects.

The Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison (GMUG) National Forests’ Gunnison Ranger District in partnership with the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety is seeking public comment on the proposed Tomichi and Kebler Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) Physical Safety Closures Projects. The GMUG proposes to physically close 24 abandoned, inactive mine sites (adits and shafts) which post the greatest physical hazards to the public and other resources. All of the features are on National Forest System (NFS) lands in the Gunnison National Forest and within Gunnison County, Colorado, with the exception of two adits that extend eastward into Chaffee County on NFS lands within the San Isabel National Forest.

The Tomichi mine features to be closed are located within 30 miles north and east of Gunnison, Colorado. The Kebler project has four openings located about 5 miles west of Crested Butte and accessed from Gunnison County Road 12-Kebler Pass Road. Twenty sites comprise the Tomichi project, including five openings that are 3 to 6 miles south of Pitkin and reached from National Forest System Road (NFSR) #763-Waunita Pass Road and NFSR #769. The remaining 15 adits and shafts are 1 to 6 miles north of Whitepine and accessed via NFSR #888-Whitepine Road and NFSR #839-Alpine Tunnel Road.

Closure methods for the projects may include backfill, bulkhead, cable net, corrugated steel pipe, polyurethane foam, and metal grate installations. The closures will eliminate safety hazards to the public while preserving natural and cultural resources. Bat-friendly ladders, slot-gates, or exclusionary methods will be used at all sites considered to have potential for bat roosting habitat. The closure work is scheduled to start in summer 2024.

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