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INTRODUCTION <br />Quantitative sampling of reclaimed and reference areas at Seneca Coal Company (SCC) Seneca IN <br />Mine was undertaken in 2015 by Cedar Creek Associates, Inc. for formal testing of Revegetation Success <br />in application for Phase III Bond Release. The present report constitutes data from year one of the <br />required two years of testing. Methods, sample areas, and sample sizes were those specified in a study <br />plan submitted by SCC to Colorado Division of Minerals and Geology (CDRMS) (ESCO 2005b). <br />METHODS <br />Phase 111 Bond Release Block 3 Sampling <br />The 804.1 acres of the 2015 Bond Release Block 3 (BRB-3) was assembled from reclamation parcels <br />seeded from 2003 to 2007. BRB-3 includes land reclaimed after September 22, 1981 and is subject to <br />provisions of the Colorado Permanent Regulatory Program. 400.8 acres of the BRB-3 are located in the <br />northern portion of the permit area (Seneca IIW) and 403.3 acres are located in the adjacent southern <br />portion (Seneca IIW-South). In consideration of this, monitoring locations were randomly generated and <br />evenly divided between the two portions of the BRB-3 (see summary of sampling design below) to <br />prevent bias in the data. There are three fenced woody plant density "concentration" areas located within <br />BRB-3, identified as Aspen, Riparian, and Upland "Concentration" areas. Sample areas and locations are <br />shown on Map 1, "Vegetation Monitoring Locations — 2015 Phase III Bond Release Block 3" and Map 2, <br />"Vegetation Monitoring Locations — 2015 Fenced WPD Concentration Areas." <br />Reference Area Sampling <br />Historically, there have been two distinct Extended Reference Areas (ERAs) located in the Seneca IN <br />Mine permit area; one used as a reference for reclaimed areas located in Seneca IN and one used as a <br />reference for the reclaimed lands located in Seneca IIW-South. These areas were established separately <br />in order to capture potential differences in vegetation cover caused by the higher elevation of Seneca IIW, <br />which appears to be fractionally lower than the adjacent Seneca IIW-South vegetation cover. Previous <br />Bond Release Blocks monitored for Phase III success have existed almost entirely in either the northern <br />or southern permit area, making the use of only one respective ERA necessary. However, in the case of <br />BRB-3 which is divided almost exactly in half between the two permit areas (49.8% in Seneca IN and <br />50.2% in Seneca IIW-South), it was proposed that the two ERAs be combined into one larger ERA (here <br />after referred to as the Combined ERA) to capture any variance that exists between the two areas. <br />Adequacy correspondence for SI -5 demonstrates CDRMS concurrence with this approach. The Aspen, <br />Mountain Brush, Sagebrush, Steep Mountain Brush, and Western Wheatgrass/Alkali Sagebrush in the <br />Combined Extended Reference Area were sampled to provide cover and production data for comparison <br />