2016-02-29_REPORT - C1981028 (12)

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Keenesburg Mine 2015 Vegetation Monitoring Report EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Quantitative vegetation monitoring of Reclamation Areas 23, 29, 30, and 31 at the Coors Energy Company (CEC) Keenesburg Mine was conducted in August 2015. Vegetation cover, herbaceous production, and species composition were evaluated. Comparisons were made between total vegetation cover and total herbaceous production means from the reclamation areas and predicted values calculated from the approved final revegetation success equations based on on-site precipitation from September 2014 to July 2015. The predictive equations for vegetation cover and herbaceous production were modified in Technical Revisions 43 and 46 to the Colorado Division of Reclamation Mining and Safety (DRMS) Mining and Reclamation Permit C-1981-028. The calculated final revegetation success vegetation cover standard value for 2015 is 36.1%. Thus, the total vegetation cover with noxious weeds removed for the Reclamation Areas must exceed 32.5% (90% x 36.1 = 32.5). None of the four Reclamation Areas (23, 29, 30, and 31) achieved this level of vegetation cover in 2015 with mean vegetation cover values of 31.6%, 28.2%. 24.4%, and 14.4%, respectively. The total herbaceous production standard was 192.3 g/m2. None of the Reclamation Areas (23, 29, 30, or 31) met 90% of this standard, with mean herbaceous production of 110.4 g/m2, 90.7 g/m2 87.4 g/m2, and 60.7 g/m2, respectively. All Reclamation Areas also fell short of the species composition standard because none had the required component of one cool season grass species contributing greater than 3% of the relative cover. Quarterly inspections of the entire permitted area were conducted during 2015 to monitor for the presence and impacts of noxious weeds, pests, or disease to the revegetation. No noxious weeds, pests, or diseases were identified during these inspections. Habitat Management, Inc. 1 October 2015