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• <br /> restricted by the lack of surface water, are rangeland and wildlife habitat. <br /> The annual mean temperature is 42.2°F with an average annual total precipitation of 11.8'; from <br /> rain (9.2") and snow (26.0" at 2.6" water equivalent)'. The growing season averages 94 days. <br /> Over the last five years, monthly precipitation patterns in the region as typified by the San Luis, <br /> Colorado weather station show the variable nature of this climatic element(Figure 4 in Appendix <br /> A). This semi-arid region follows a bimodal precipitation pattern with fall (August to September) <br /> have the highest rainfall and late spring (April to May) providing a second, lighter rainfall period <br /> for soil moisture recharge. <br /> In Figure 3, precipitation is analyzed for the 12-month period immediately prior to the annual <br /> June monitoring survey, i.e., June of the prior year to May of the monitored year. The 12-month <br /> total precipitation for 5 cycles (June-May) preceding were: <br /> 2010-2011 12.1" <br /> 2011-2012 12.4" <br /> 2012-2013 8.4" <br /> 2013-2014 15.6" <br /> 2014-2015 16.7" <br /> Precipitation has been greater than typical (11.8" per year) during four of the five 12-month <br /> cycles prior to the monitoring in June 2015. <br /> 3.0 REVEGETATION SUCCESS CRITERIA <br /> Revegetation success at the Mesita Hill Mine has no standard defined in the mine permit. <br /> Portions of the mine were disturbed prior to laws for reclamation and not re-disturbed under <br /> subsequent permits (see "Pre-law" locations in Figure 2 and 3, Appendix A). The reclamation <br /> plan for this mine site was permitted in 1988 and falls within the Surface Mining Control and <br /> Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA) and is prior to, but conforming with, subsequent laws <br /> including the Colorado Land Reclamation Act for the Extraction of Construction Materials. <br /> Reclaimed areas, especially in semiarid environments, tend to be variable in their plant cover <br /> and density, with some portions well above the standard while others are more barren. A <br /> reclaimed site, and areas within the site, should be evaluated as a whole with the understanding <br /> that some portions with lower plant cover, whether due to rock outcrops, poor soil, steep slopes, <br /> 1 Data from National Weather Service, U.S. Department of Commerce <br /> 2 <br />