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NEW PORTAL REFERENCE AREA <br />Plant Cover. The results obtained from the sampling of the 17 plant cover transects are presented <br />in Table 9, New Portal Reference Area - 2013 Plant Cover. "Total plant cover" averaged <br />28.65% and litter cover averaged 45.17%. "Allowable plant cover" averaged 28.06°/x. <br />Woody plants, consisting of trees and shrubs was the dominant plant life form encountered, <br />contributing 20.00% of the total plant cover or 68.82% of the total relative plant cover on this <br />undisturbed site. Grasses was the second most dominant plant life form, contributing 6.24% of the <br />total plant cover or 21.77% of the total relative plant cover. Succulents was the third most <br />dominant plant form, contributing 1.12% of the total plant cover or 3.90% of the total relative <br />plant cover. Forbs contributed 0.71% of the total plant cover and 2.46% of the total relative plant <br />cover. Annuals contributed 0.59% of the total plant cover and 2.05% of the total relative plant <br />cover. Noxious weeds were not encountered in the plant cover sampling of this site. <br />The most dominant plant species encountered was Gambel Oak which contributed 13.76% of the <br />total plant cover or 48.08% of the total relative plant cover. Sideoats Grama, was the second most <br />dominant plant species and contributed 2.53% of the total plant cover or 8.83% of the total <br />relative plant cover. The third most dominant species was Mountain Mahogany, which <br />contributed 2.41% of the total relative plant cover or 8.42% of the total relative plant cover. Blue <br />Grama, was the fourth most dominant plant and contributed 2.00 % of the total plant cover or <br />6.98% of the total relative plant cover. <br />The locations of the 17 cover transects sampled are shown on Map 12, New Mine Portal <br />Reference Area - 2013 Transect Location Map. The sample adequacy calculations in Table 2, <br />2013 Mine -Statistical Summary and Sample Adequacy Calculations, document that the <br />number of transects required to characterize the "total plant cover" was 8.5 transects and 9.9 <br />transects for "allowable plant cover" at the 90% confidence interval. The number of samples <br />collected from this area (N=17) exceeds the number of samples required by the CDRMS <br />regulations to characterize the parameter of plant cover at the 90% statistical confidence level <br />(Nm=9.9). <br />When IME originally sampled this site in 2008, total canopy cover averaged 23.07%. Warm <br />season species contributed 2.87% of the total plant cover or 12.44% of the total relative cover. <br />The two most dominant warm season species contributed 2.40% of the total plant cover or 10.40% <br />of the total relative cover. <br />Forage Production. The results obtained from the sampling of the 30 forage production transects <br />are summarized in Table 10, New Portal Reference Area - 2013 Production. Forage production <br />averaged 2.59 g/1/4 m2 or 92.3 pounds per acre. Perennial grasses produced 2.33 g/1/4 m2 or 83.0 <br />pounds per acre and accounted for 90.0% of the forage production. Perennial forbs contributed <br />0.26 g/1/4m2 or 9.3 pounds per acre and accounted for 10.0% of the total forage production. <br />The locations of the 30 forage production transects sampled on this site are shown on Map 13, <br />New Mine Portal Reference Area - 2013 Transect Location Map. The sample adequacy <br />calculations in Table 2, 2013 - Statistical Summary and Sample Adequacy Calculations, <br />document that the number of samples required to characterize the parameter of forage production <br />on this site at the 90% confidence interval was 250.9 transects <br />When IME sampled this reference area in 2008, forage production averaged 5.32 g/1/4m2 or 189.6 <br />pounds forage per acre. <br />12 <br />