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Temperatures remained about normal from July 2015 to April 2016 after which the mean <br /> temperatures and daily maxima and minima began to trend toward above normal. With <br /> declining precipitation and increasing temperature,vegetation stress has increased since April <br /> 2016. However, as the deviations from normality are not strong, stress is well within the <br /> adaptative range of most native plants to the area. Plus the prodigious moisture received <br /> earlier has established a moist reservoir in the subsoils which is essential to reducing stress <br /> during dry periods in semi-arid vegetation units. <br /> As for an explanation of this rather quick shift, it all goes to the demise of a very strong El <br /> Nino that affected nearly the entire United States in 2015 and rather suddenly died away in <br /> early 2016. By the time April arrived residual effects from this ENSO related phenomenon <br /> had faded resulting in a return to more average conditions. It appears that a La Nina may be <br /> on the horizon which would like cause a return to drier and warmer conditions in summer and <br /> perhaps a colder winter but with reduced snowfall along the Front Range. Often a La Nina in <br /> the Front Range Urban Corridor results in a colder winter with less snow that arrives in many <br /> small storms rather than the juicier and fewer large storms associated with an El Nino. This <br /> could result in a return to drought conditions,but at this time drought is not expected even <br /> though drier conditions are expected. <br /> The impact of the last 18 months of generally a wet climate has been beneficial to all the <br /> growth of strong vegetation on the 2014 reclamation area and a noticeable improvement of <br /> the growth on older reclamation sites as well as a considerable improvement in the <br /> undisturbed grassland and riparian lands. At this point in time, all reclaimed areas are in <br /> excellent condition. <br /> 2. Topsoiling-No topsoiling was done in the last year. <br /> A. Locations of topsoiling- N/A. <br /> B. Depth of topsoiling- N/A. <br /> C. Final grading of topsoiled lands-N/A. <br /> 3. Accommodation for drainage -Drainage from the pit is confined to the pit area. Initial rills <br /> in the 2014 reclamation are stabilizing and no noticeable expansion has been noted. The <br /> current vegetation is able to control erosion by all but the very largest storms. <br /> 4. Revegetation- A check of the 2014 revegetation area in March, done in conjunction with <br /> preparing the Reclamation Permit annual report, showed the vegetation to be in a very normal <br /> late winter condition. Grazing has impacted the vegetation,but no damage has been done and <br /> no evidence of the kind of overgrazing seen many years ago was evident. Grazing impact <br /> appears to be well managed. On July 7, similar results were seen,but there does seem to be a <br /> high abundance of cheatgrass this year. As this varies from year to year,the presence is not of <br /> much concern other than the fact that there is a lot of cheatgrass. Unfortunately,that is true <br /> most everywhere else on this property and is, in part, a residual effect from years and years of <br /> overgrazing. Once cheatgrass becomes entrenched it is next to impossible to remove. Good <br /> Status report for 2016 due July 15, 2016 Page 4 of 6 <br />