2017-02-28_REPORT - C1981028 ‎(30)‎

• Permit No: C1981028
• IBM Index Class Name: Report
• Doc Date: 2/28/2017
• Doc Name: Annual Reclamation Report
• From: Coors Energy Company
• To: DRMS
• Annual Report Year: 2016
• Permit Index Doc Type: Annual Reclamation Report
• Email Name: RAR
• Email Name: DIH
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

Keenesburg Mine 2016 Vegetation Monitoring Report
6.6 2015Revegetation Success Standards
The following standards were calculated for vegetation cover and herbaceous production using
the September 2015 through July 2016 precipitation (16.4 inches) in the predictive equations
presented in Section 3.
1. Vegetation Cover Standard = 36.4% (90% Standard = 32.8%)
2. Herbaceous Production Standard = 186.9 g/m2 (90% Standard = 168.2 g/m2)
The average vegetation cover and production for each Reclamation Area were compared to 90%
of the appropriate standard value to determine reclamation success.
7 DISCUSSION
Reclamation Areas 23, 29, 30, and 31 were all sampled in 2012 and 2015 and Reclamation Areas
30 and 31 were also sampled in 2014. Reclamation Area 25 has not been sampled recently. The
results were compared to previous years' data as well as the reclamation standards.
7.1 Vegetation Cover
Based on the results of the quantitative sampling, all five Reclamation Areas had total vegetation
cover greater than 90% of the standard, but when cheatgrass was removed from the cover totals
only Reclamation Areas 25 and 29 exceeded 90% of the success standard (Table 16). Data from
Reclamation Areas 23 and 30 was significantly greater than the standard using hypothesis
testing; however, neither dataset met the sample adequacy requirements to pass the vegetation
cover success standard.
Table 16: Vegetation Cover Success Standard Comparison
Vegetation Cover
23
Reclamation Area
25 29 30
31
Average
51.6
45.6
46.4
55.2
64.8
Average minus noxious)
29.2
33.6
38.2
30.6
27.4
St Dev (minus noxious)
8.4
11.8
8.2
7.9
8.6
N
5
10
10
10
10
Nmin
20
24
9
13
19
Standard
36.4
90% of Standard
32.8
Standard Passed?
No
Yes
Yes
No
No
Reclamation Areas 30 and 31 have been monitored each year since 2014, and Reclamation Areas
23 and 29 were monitored in 2015. Total cover in all areas has increased since 2014. However, it
decreased from 2014 to 2015 in Reclamation Area 30 (Figure 5). Most of these changes in total
cover can be attributed to changes in cover of annual introduced species. Absolute cover of
perennial native species has either decreased as seen in Reclamation Areas 23, 30, and 31or held
relative steady as seen in Reclamation Area 29 (Figure 5). Absolute cover of annual introduced
species including cheatgrass and annual forbs has increased each year in all areas.
Habitat Management, Inc. 23 October 2016