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Keenesburg Mine 2016 Vegetation Monitoring Report <br />During the course of cover sampling, all plant species occurring within one meter of either side <br />of the cover sample transect were noted as present within each sample. These species are <br />presented on the complete species list (Appendix A). <br />2.6 Photographs <br />A photograph was taken at the start point of each cover transect looking along the length of the <br />transect. These photos are presented in Appendix C. <br />2.7 Species Identification and Nomenclature <br />Species that were not readily identified in the field were collected for later identification. <br />Specimens were identified using floral keys including Weber and Wittmann (2001) and Wingate <br />(1994). Nomenclature follows the NRCS Plants Database (2015). <br />3 RECLAMATION SUCCESS STANDARDS <br />The Keenesburg Mine Reclamation Permit includes a species composition standard and <br />predictive equations to determine the success standards for vegetation cover and herbaceous <br />production. Both the vegetation cover and herbaceous production equations use the previous <br />year's precipitation (September — July) to predict the success standard for any given year. These <br />equations are as follows, where x is equal to the cumulative September — July precipitation: <br />Vegetation Cover Standard = -0.0127x3+0.2115x2+2.1772x <br />Herbaceous Production Standard = 0.4666x2 1405 <br />To meet the reclamation standard specified in the permit, the average total vegetation cover <br />value and the total herbaceous production value (excluding noxious weeds) in a Reclamation <br />Area must be greater than or equal to 90% of the resulting value from the appropriate predictive <br />equation. Data that do not meet this standard can be subjected to hypothesis testing as described <br />in the DRMS Guideline Regarding Selected Coal Mine Bond Release Issues (DRMS 1995). <br />Per this guideline, Reclamation Areas can still meet the success standard if the dataset is not <br />significantly different from 90% of the standard using a one -sample T-test with a one -tailed <br />confidence interval of 90% and meets the more stringent sample adequacy requirements <br />described therein. <br />When these equations were developed, species listed by the Colorado Department of Agriculture <br />as noxious weeds were not excluded from the data. In 2012, DRMS approved a Technical <br />Revision (TR43) to the Keenesburg Mine Reclamation Permit to update the equations to remove <br />noxious plant species from both the cover and production standards. The vegetation cover <br />standard was again updated in a Minor Revision (MR46) to the permit. <br />Species composition is considered an indicator of successful vegetation establishment and a <br />diverse vegetation community. The species composition standard for the Keenesburg Mine <br />requires that there be at least four perennial species, of which three are warm season grasses and <br />one a cool season grass. None of the four species may comprise greater than 40% relative cover <br />nor less than 3% relative cover. Vegetation species which may be used in the calculation of <br />species composition may be any plant species that is not defined as a noxious or prohibited plant <br />species, and may be native or introduced. <br />Habitat Management, Inc. 7 October 2016 <br />