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RULE 4 PERFORMANCE STANDARDS <br />4.15 REVEGETATION REQUIREMENTS <br />4.15.1— 4.15.7 Revegetation Requirements, Various <br />General Requirements <br />Colowyo will establish on all affected land within the Collom mine plan area a diverse, effective and <br />permanent vegetative cover of the same seasonal variety as that native.to the area. Vegetative cover will <br />be comprised of native species that are desirable and necessary to achieve the approved postmining land <br />uses as required under Section 4.15.2 (with modest exceptions). Seed mixtures, revegetation metrics, and <br />bond release protocols designed to target specific post -mining land use components are presented within <br />the context of this section (4.15) as well as the reclamation plan, Section 2.05.4 <br />The details of the revegetation plan are discussed in Section 2.05.4. <br />Vegetation Monitoring <br />Please see Volume 1, Section 4.15.1(4) to review the interim revegetation monitoring program activities <br />and process to be applied to the Collom mining area. Colowyo is proposing no changes to the program <br />specific to the Collom mining area. <br />Use of Introduced Species <br />For Collom area revegetation, the seed mix is comprised entirely of native species with the specific <br />exceptions described below. Introduced species would only be utilized in four possible circumstances. <br />The first would be reclaimed areas exhibiting a post -mining land use of pastureland (specifically targeting <br />domestic livestock grazing and/or haying operations). The second would be in small areas potentially <br />susceptible to excessive erosion where at the discretion of Colowyo's reclamation coordinator, introduced <br />species would provide the necessary protection. (Prior to use of introduced species to combat areas that <br />are highly susceptible to erosion, an MR or TR (as appropriate) will be obtained from CDRMS to address <br />such circumstances.) The third possible circumstance would be the inclusion of orchard grass at elevated <br />densities in certain locations designed to encourage elk away from other sites. (It has been documented <br />that elk specifically seek this species for consumption.) The fourth circumstance would be inclusion of <br />modest quantities of small burnett or nitrogen fixing legumes such as cicer milkvetch or alfalfa as <br />supplemental forage for deer, elk, and livestock. In addition, cicer milkvetch has proven to be an <br />excellent "habitat" plant for insects that are very important to foraging sage grouse chicks during the <br />brooding period. <br />Seeding and Planting <br />The seeding and planting of the disturbed area will be conducted during the first normal period for <br />favorable planting conditions after final preparation for seeding or planting. The planting period and other <br />revegetation metrics for Colowyo are set forth in Section 2.05.4. <br />Mulching and Other Soil Stabilizing Practices <br />As addressed in Section 2.05.4, when necessary, chisel plowing, discing, terracing and/or contour furrows <br />could/would be utilized to stabilize, reduce compaction and increase the moisture retention of graded <br />topsoiled areas. Chisel plowing is the most preferred method of initiating surface roughness at Colowyo, <br />beyond the roughness created through topsoil laydown activities. Areas less than 10% slope in the <br />Collom mining area have been identified as potentially targeted areas for the Sagebrush Steppe land use <br />Collom — Rule 4, Page 18 Revision Date: 4/18/16 <br />Revision No.: PR -04 <br />