2015-02-26_REPORT - C1981028 (7)

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Keenesburg Mine 2014 Vegetation Monitoring Report necessarily soak into the ground in the quantities that the data would suggest. Additionally, it was at the end of the growing season and may have assisted with root development and over - winter heartiness, but not necessarily increased production. The same is true for the snowfall in January, much of which likely evaporated rather than infiltrated. 6.3 Species Composition Reclamation Areas 30 and 31 did not meet the species composition success criteria this season. Neither site exhibited the one cool season grass species necessary to meet the requirement (Table 11). Additionally, Area 31 only had three perennial grass species that constituted greater than 3% of the relative cover. Table 11: Species Composition Success Standard Comparison Species Composition Success Standard Area 30 Area 31 Total Perennial Species* 4 5 3 Warm Season Grasses* 3 5 3 Cool Season Grasses* 1 0 0 Standard Passed? No No * All species included must constitute greater than 3% and less than 40% of the relative cover Reclamation Area 30 had five perennial warm season grasses, but lacked one qualifying perennial cool season grass to satisfy all requirements of the revegetation success standard. While Indian rice grass (Achnatherum [Oryzopsis] hymenoides) was present in cover sampling, its contribution was less than the required 3 %. Reclamation Area 31 had only three perennial warm season grasses and no perennial cool season grasses, thus failing to meet either component of the standard. Area 31 had seven warm season and two cool season perennial grasses along the cover transects, but only three that met the relative cover requirement of 3 %. 7 SUMMARY Quantitative monitoring of Reclamation Areas 30 and 31 revealed that they did not meet the current final revegetation success standards. Mean total vegetation cover in Reclamation Area 30 was greater than 90% of the predicted cover standard of 34.7 %, but less than this value in Reclamation Area 31. Additionally, the mean total herbaceous production values from both reclamation areas were less than 90 percent of the 212.6 g /m2 total herbaceous production success standard. Both Reclamation Areas also failed to meet the species composition standard because they each lacked a cool season perennial grass species with great enough relative cover to meet the standard. Reclamation Area 30 had five warm season perennial grass species and Reclamation Area 30 had three warm season perennial grass species. Habitat Management, Inc. 16 September 2014