2015-04-07_REPORT - M1977300 - Laserfiche WebLink

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1 IRIS MITIGATION AND DESIGN, INC. er., IRIS 2022 Arapahoe Street MITIGATION AND DESIGN, INC. Golden, Colorado 80401 Environmental Consulting Phone: 720 - 272 -1985 bleisure @irismitigation.com SUMMARY The Schwartzwalder Mine Phase 1 planted and seeded mitigation areas are recovering from the devastating 2013 Flood event. The Flood destroyed 47 percent of 2013 Phase 1 establishing planted trees, shrubs, and willow stakes in mitigation areas along the Creek. The Flood also destroyed approximately 85 percent of the 2012/2013 seeded and establishing grasses and Y pP Y wildflowers in mitigation areas. According to the ten 3 meter square plots along the Creek, there was approximately 52 percent loss of riparian vegetation due to the damaging Flood. The 2014 monitoring ata reveal that the Phase 1 planted mitigation areas achieved 110 9 p 9 percent tree and shrub establishment success in 2014 due to additional establishing volunteer species. According to transect and plot data, all six mitigation areas except for Areas 3 and 5 had twice the seeded vegetation of what remained post - Flood. Area 3 was not impacted by the Flood and still had over 70 percent established upland vegetation (this area was planted with upland trees and shrubs and was not seeded). Area 5 was devastated by the Flood and has no vegetation growing; however, it is a small mitigation area at 0.01 acre. The majority of seeded mitigation areas have experienced good vegetation establishment since the Flood with an average of 42 percent desirable vegetation cover. Data from the 10 sampling plots along the Creek also reveal that there was good vegetation establishment during the 2014 growing season. All plots except plots 2, 5, 8 and 10 had between 5 and 30 percent additional vegetation establishment, with an average of 20 percent Schwartzwalder Mine Phase 1 — 2014 Second Annual Mitigation Monitoring Report Page 11 March 2015