2015-10-06_PERMIT FILE - C1981019A (3)

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RULE 4 PERFORMANCE STANDARDS • Interseeding of shrubs (as necessary as a normal husbandry practice) within areas not exhibiting satisfactory ;stablishment of shrubs, but still presenting opportunities (micro - niches) for shrubs. Such interseeding would be performed in accordance with Rule 4.15.7(5)(g), and documentation of any such efforts would be provided in the Annual Reclamation Report for that year. This Collom mining area reclamation plan, includes management and revegetation specifications (e.g., shrub species in the seed mix) for use on the "grassland" targeted areas that will facilitate additional shrub establishment when climatic or other conditions are favorable. In this manner, small and/or scattered patches of additional shrubland may be established that will provide improved habitat diversity for all wildlife species, especially for sage grouse. However, since this type of reclamation is entirely dependent on the vagaries of nature, dependence upon such techniques cannot be relied upon. Where shrublands evolve on these "sagebrush community attempts", they will be segregated into "core" areas and "ecotonal" areas (as is typically evident in nature), each with a separate woody plant density success criterion. Furthermore, it has been noted repeatedly in the industry that the 10 -year bond responsibility period is insufficient for the adequate development of shrub populations. In this regard, flexibility must be built into the success evaluation process (and/or criteria) so that if a positive recruitment rate to the shrub population can be documented on Colowyo revegetation, there would be no need to achieve elevated densities within a modest time -frame such as the 10 -year responsibility period. Given these points, the following woody plant density success criteria will be applied to Collom mining area revegetation efforts: On grassland communities (approximately 60% to 80% of reclaimed acreage (>10% slope) targeting the post -mining land use of grazing -land), zero woody plant density will be required. However, if shrub communities evolve in these areas this acreage will count toward the wildlife habitat acreage and be subject to the appropriate standards. On identified manifested shrublands, the post -mining land use goal of wildlife habitat — sage grouse brooding habitat, the following criteria will be applied depending on shrubland classification. On "core areas" (areas of shrub concentration and comprising no less than one-half the minimum total shrubland acreage), the eventual desirable goal shall be 1000 plants per acre, but the standard shall be 500 live plants per acre. At least one-half of these totals shall be sagebrush species. In "ecotonal areas" the eventual desirable goal shall be 500 plants per acre, but the standard shall be 375 plants per acre. The 500 and 375 plants per acre standards translate to approximately one plant for each 8' x 8' or 13.5' x 13.5' area, respectively. Furthermore, Colowyo makes the commitment to establish sagebrush steppe (comprised of both core and ecotonal areas) on approximately 350 acres of the Collom mining area reclamation. This acreage is based on the following rationale: 1) delineation of all Collom mining area post -mining acreage exhibiting slopes 10% or flatter; 2) elimination of all small, isolated, or impractical areas for targeting this community; 3) implementing "banding" (alternating strips of grassland versus shrubland) procedures on large units with long slopes that might otherwise lead to excessive "snowmelt" erosion; and 4) assuming 50% shrub establishment success on the acreage that actually receives shrub conducive metrics. Issues with the potential longterm longevity of fourwing saltbush will require that a maximum proportion of the countable shrubs used to demonstrate conformance with the applicable performance standards be limited to 20%. As an example, should an area demonstrate 500 live shrub plants per acre, 400 of those plants must be something other than fourwing saltbush. Colowyo believes that on-site research partially refutes the data collected at other locations with respect to fourwing saltbush longevity but has compromised in this case given the concerns raised by the Division during the permitting of the South Taylor mining area. Diversity Collom — Rule 4, Page 42 Revision Date: 9/28/11 Revision No.: PR -03