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Coors Energy Company: Keenesburg Mine Permit No. C-81-028 <br />2016 First Quarter Pest & Disease Inspection <br />On March 16, 2016 Danny and Terry (Coors Energy Company) and Wayne (Habitat <br />Management, Inc). inspected operational, bonded reclaimed and shop areas at the <br />Keenesburg Mine for plant pests, plant diseases and noxious weeds that could or have <br />affected establishment of vegetation on reclaimed lands. The inspection was conducted <br />by vehicular and pedestrian means. The following areas were inspected: <br />• The office/shop/facility area; <br />• Topsoil stockpiles A-1 and B-1; <br />• B pit; <br />• The long-term spoil area; <br />• Bonded Reclamation; <br />• The permanent sediment pond; <br />• Mine roads; <br />• Undisturbed land within the permit boundary; <br />• and <br />• The Dugout. <br />These areas are depicted on Map 1. <br />Plant disease was not identified within the areas inspected. To date vegetation growth <br />during this growing season is just beginning and vegetation has not been adversely <br />affected by plant pests. Areas affected by infestation or blight were not identified during <br />this inspection. No areas were observed where noxious weeds, plant pests or plant <br />disease had adversely impacted the normal growth and establishment of vegetation on <br />reclaimed lands, with the exception of cheatgrass infestations. <br />Ongoing vegetation monitoring has identified cheatgrass as a potential barrier to <br />successful revegetation of disturbed areas. The mine performed pre -emergent herbicide <br />treatments on cheatgrass in the fall of 2015 in reclamation units 25, 29, 30 and proposed <br />reclamation unit 34. During this inspection we visually evaluated the effectiveness of <br />these pre -emergent herbicide treatments. To date, effectiveness has been variable with <br />portions of some of these reclaimed areas being absent cheatgrass seedlings and others <br />having dense stands of seedlings. Danny observed that this same growth pattern <br />occurred last year and that as the early growing season progressed a significant number <br />of early germinating cheatgrass seedlings grew for about two weeks and then turned <br />yellow and died without flowering. Danny indicated that mine personnel would closely <br />monitor areas with significant cheatgrass seedling germination to determine if other <br />treatments (i.e., disking, plowing, etc.) would be required prior to inter -seeding these <br />reclaimed areas later in 2016. The reclaimed unit that was seeded last fall currently <br />shows good germination of desirable grasses with little or no cheatgrass being present. <br />Habitat Management, Inc. 1 March 16, 2016 <br />