2016-10-03_PERMIT FILE - C1981019A (2)

Home Browse Search

RULE 4 PERFORMANCE STANDARDS rationale: 1) delineation of all Collom mining area post -mining acreage exhibiting slopes 10% or flatter; 2) elimination of all small, isolated, or impractical areas for targeting this community; 3) implementing "banding" (alternating strips of grassland versus shrubland) procedures on large units with long slopes that might otherwise lead to excessive "snowmelt" erosion; and 4) assuming 50% shrub establishment success on the acreage that actually receives shrub conducive metrics. Issues with the potential longterm longevity of fourwing saltbush will require that a maximum proportion of the countable shrubs used to demonstrate conformance with the applicable performance standards be limited to 20%. As an example, should an area demonstrate 500 live shrub plants per acre, 400 of those plants must be something other than fourwing saltbush. Colowyo believes that on-site research partially refutes the data collected at other locations with respect to fourwing saltbush longevity but has compromised in this case given the concerns raised by the Division during the permitting of the South Taylor mining area. Diversity CDRMS regulations have been revised to allow for the use of comparisons of species composition based on cover between the reclaimed area and the undisturbed vegetation. This method of analyzing diversity was applied to the premine herbaceous vegetation cover data originally sampled and summarized in Table 2.04.10-35 (Collom — Vegetation Cover — 2005 Diversity Summary). Species diversity for the postmine vegetative community will be determined in the same manner as the premine inventory. Cover data will be collected using a point frame placed in an unbiased manner. Overall, postmine data collection methods will be similar to premine data collection methods. Relative cover values (composition) will be determined for each species in the sampled portion of the reclaimed area. The revegetation objective for diversity will be to establish a community on the reclaimed areas that contain the following; For areas exhibiting the characteristics of the grassland subcomponent of the Rangeland/Fish and Wildlife Habitat Land Use: a) At least three native* cool season perennial grasses with between 3% and 50% relative cover (composition), and b) At least one perennial forb or shrub with between 2% and 50% relative cover (composition), or c) A total of all forbs or all shrubs combined with between 4% and 50% relative cover (composition), or d) If five or more native* cool season perennial grass taxa contribute between 3% and 50% composition, the requirement for perennial forbs and shrubs shall be limited to 1% or more relative cover combined. . The limitation to "native" status will not apply to introduced (and CDRMS approved) taxa specifically planted for an approved use (such as Orchard grass or Cicer milkvetch). Collom — Rule 4, Page 26 Revision Date: 4/18/16 Revision No.: PR -04