2016-02-29_REPORT - C1981028 ‎(12)‎

• Permit No: C1981028
• IBM Index Class Name: Report
• Doc Date: 2/29/2016
• Doc Name: Annual Hydrology & Reclamation Report
• From: Coors Energy
• To: DRMS
• Annual Report Year: 2015
• Permit Index Doc Type: Annual Reclamation Report
• Email Name: TNL
• Email Name: DIH
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

Keenesburg Mine 2015 Vegetation Monitoring Report
During the course of cover sampling, all plant species occurring within one meter of either side
of the cover sample transect were noted as present within each sample. These species are
presented on the complete species list (Appendix A).
2.6 Photographs
A photograph was be taken at the start point of each cover transect looking along the length of
the transect. These photos are presented in Appendix C.
2.7 Species Identil<cation and Nomenclature
Species that were not readily identified in the field were collected for later identification.
Specimens were identified using floral keys including Weber and Wittmann (2001) and Wingate
(1994). Nomenclature follows the NRCS Plants Database (2015).
3 RECLAMATION SUCCESS STANDARDS
The Keenesburg Mine Reclamation Permit includes a species composition standard and
predictive equations to determine the success standards for vegetation cover and herbaceous
production. Both the vegetation cover and herbaceous production equations use the previous
year's precipitation (September — July) to predict the success standard for any given year. These
equations are as follows, where x is equal to the cumulative September — July precipitation:
Vegetation Cover Standard = -0.0127x3+0.2115x2+2.1772x
Herbaceous Production Standard = 0.4666x2 1405
To meet the reclamation standard specified in the permit, the average total vegetation cover
value and the total herbaceous production value (excluding noxious weeds) in a Reclamation
Area must be greater than or equal to 90% of the resulting value from the appropriate predictive
equation.
When these equations were developed, species listed by the Colorado Department of Agriculture
as noxious weeds were not excluded from the data. In 2012, DRMS approved a Technical
Revision (TR43) to the Keenesburg Mine Reclamation Permit to update the equations to remove
noxious plant species from both the cover and production standards. The vegetation cover
standard was again updated in a Minor Revision (MR46) to the permit.
Species composition is considered an indicator of successful vegetation establishment and a
diverse vegetation community. The species composition standard for the Keenesburg Mine
requires that there be at least four perennial species, of which three are warm season grasses and
one a cool season grass. None of the four species may comprise greater than 40% relative cover
nor less than 3% relative cover. Vegetation species which may be used in the calculation of
species composition may be any plant species that is not defined as a noxious or prohibited plant
species, and may be native or introduced.
4 2014-2015 PRECIPITATION
The climate of the mine and surrounding area is typical of the region and characterized by cold
winters and hot dry summers. CEC has collected local precipitation data at the mine since 1984;
however, only data from 1993 — 2015 is presented here to correspond with the duration of
vegetation monitoring (Appendix B). Average precipitation is generally lowest during the late
fall and winter (October through March) and peaks in April through June (Figure 3).
Habitat Management, Inc. 6 October 2015