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1.0 INTRODUCTION <br /> This 2015 Annual Revegetation Monitoring Report is for the reclamation program at Mesita Hill <br /> Mine (DRMS Mine Id # M-1977-227) owned by MWCA, Inc. Mesita Hill Mine is an open-pit <br /> volcanic scoria mining operation encompassing a 201.2-acre permit area (175 acres of <br /> disturbance) and is located in Costilla County of southern Colorado in the San Luis Valley. The <br /> mine is in the San Luis Hills, south of Highway 160 and east of Highway 285, 2 miles (3 <br /> kilometers) west of the community of Mesita (Sec 26, Township 2 North, Range 74 West of the <br /> 6`h Principal Meridian; Figure 1 in Appendix A). Scoria has a specific market and the mine, <br /> which has been in periodic operation since 1948, is currently inactive. <br /> The site was surveyed by Ingrid Bamberg, Bamberg Ecology LLC, on June 20 and July 28, <br /> 2015, to identify the current stage of reclamation progress. Revegetation progress, including <br /> recent germination of perennials and annuals, and general conditions of the reclaimed areas <br /> was evaluated. Since no quantitative revegetation criteria are required for this mine site, the <br /> site was monitored using qualitative survey methods for plant cover species composition, and <br /> was photographed for documentation. This report discusses the current status of the mine <br /> site's reclamation. <br /> 2.0 SITE DESCRIPTION <br /> The Mesita Hill mine site is a broad, low-relief, basaltic shield volcano with typical slope angles <br /> of one to two degrees. The scoria material in this location is only slightly welded and, due to <br /> slow market demand, has been mined over the long term. For this reason and that no <br /> explosives are used, the Mesita Hill mining operation has been relatively undisruptive to the <br /> surrounding landscape and community. The mine has several pits and rock outcrop areas with <br /> the north pit, at about 40-50 feet deep, the largest remaining unfilled on the property (Figures 2 <br /> and 3 in Appendix A). <br /> The San Luis Valley is a semiarid landscape with vegetation dominated by drought-tolerant <br /> shrubs and shortgrass prairie species. Shrubs in the surrounding landscape are generally of a <br /> low-growing habit and are dominated by broom snakeweed (Gutierrezia sarothrae), rabbitbrush <br /> (Chrysothamnus sp.), winterfat (Krascheninnikovia lanata), and saitbush (Atriplex sp.). Grasses <br /> are dominated by blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis); other grasses may historically have been <br /> more dominant but appear to have been diminished by livestock grazing. Local land uses, <br /> 1 <br />