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Selection -Sagebrush Reference Area, in Section 2.04. 10 of Volume 12, and discussed in Section <br />4.15 of the PAP. <br />Three new reference areas have been established for reclamation success comparisons for the <br />Collom permit expansion area. These are shown on Map 4C -Sheet 1, and discussed in Section <br />4.15 of Volume 15. The three new reference areas are a Mountain Shrub reference area, a <br />Sagebrush reference area, and a Grassland reference area. CCC will use a weighted average of <br />the three Collom reference areas for revegetation success comparison. Based upon pre -mining <br />vegetation mapping of the proposed disturbance area, re-established grassland communities in <br />the Collom permit expansion area will be compared to the weighted average comparison and will <br />consist of 39 percent Mountain Shrub reference area, 47 percent Sagebrush reference area, and <br />14 percent Grassland reference area. Reclaimed areas in the Collom permit expansion area that <br />evolve into a Sagebrush steppe community will be directly compared with the Sagebrush <br />reference area. Targeted Grassland areas and targeted Sagebrush steppe areas reestablished on <br />the reclaimed parcels of the Collom permit expansion area are determined by the variable topsoil <br />replacement depth as described in Section XIII, part B of this findings document. Slopes steeper <br />than 10 percent will be targeted as Grassland, using the approved Reclamation Seed Mixture <br />(Table 2.05-7). Reclaimed parcels with slopes equal to or less than 10 percent will be targeted as <br />Sagebrush steppe and seeded with the approved Reclamation Seed Mixture (Table 2.05-9). <br />Diversity success criteria for areas at the East Pit, West Pit, Section 16 Pit, and South Taylor area <br />were arrived at by utilizing herbaceous cover data from the pre -mining inventory. Four species <br />were found to comprise 43.4 percent of the diversity: Poa pratensis, Agropyron smithii, Achillea <br />lanulosa, and Stipa viridula. Three of these are perennial cool season grasses and one (Achillea <br />lanulosa) is a perennial forb. The revegetation objective for diversity is to establish a <br />community on the reclaimed areas that contains the following: <br />a) At least four principal species including a minimum of three cool season perennial <br />grasses and a minimum of one perennial forb. <br />b) Each principal species shall contribute no less than three percent relative cover. <br />c) No single species shall contribute in excess of 50 percent relative cover. <br />A discussion of Colowyo's woody stem density is found in the original findings document. <br />Stipulation No. 5, a requirement to set a woody stem density standard for Colowyo Mine, was <br />satisfied on January 2, 1985. The woody stem density requirement was determined through <br />discussions with representatives of the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, Soil <br />Conservation Service, Colorado Division of Wildlife, CMLRD, Colowyo Energy Fuels, and <br />Utah International. The woody plant density success criterion at Colowyo for disturbed areas <br />other than at the Collom project area was set at 1,000 live stems per acre, although this <br />requirement was removed with technical revisions to the reclamation plan. Pre -mine inventory <br />and reference area woody plant density measurements were taken along three -foot -wide belts <br />PR -04, Colowyo Coal Mine C1981-019 56 August 2016 <br />