2018-03-20_PERMIT FILE - C1981019A (3)

Home Browse Search

RULE 4 PERFORMANCE STANDARDS and will reflect the effectiveness of the seed mixture and volunteer species. Colowyo will also monitor areas seven years old and every third year thereafter (year 10, 13, etc.) to assess their status toward approaching the maturity necessary for bond release testing. Seven year and older monitoring will also utilize ground cover and density sampling, but will include a modest current annual production sampling effort to facilitate evaluation of progress toward meeting this variable and to allow a determination of carrying capacity should a program of livestock grazing be implemented. After 7 years of growth and where practicality dictates, revegetation units may be combined into logical management units for sampling / monitoring purposes, rather than remaining autonomous. Monitoring will cease following Phase III bond release. 4. The data and an assessment of the monitoring results will be submitted in the Annual Reclamation Report. A map will be included to delineate the reclaimed areas being sampled each year. The Annual Reclamation Report will also provide details regarding restricted interseeding or other mitigative measures implemented as a result of the vegetative monitoring program. 4.15.2 Use of Introduced Species For pre -2008 revegetation, (especially pre -2002 revegetation) an examination of the seed mixture approved for the reclamation of rangeland indicates that Colowyo included some introduced species in the mixture for which regulatory approval was obtained. Introduced species included in the seed mixture were: (1) Intermediate Wheatgrass (Agropyron intermedium) (2) Siberian Wheatgrass (Agropyron sibericum) (3) Pubescent Wheatgrass (Agropyron trichophorum) (4) Smooth Brome (Bromus inermus) (5) Orchard Grass (Dactylus glomerata) (6) Vinall Russian Wildrye (Elymus junceus) (7) Durar Hard Fescue (Festuca ovina duriscula) (Actually Native) (8) Timothy (Phleum pratense) (9) Kentucky Bluegrass (Poa pratensis) (Naturalized Taxon) (10) Lutana Cicer Milkvetch (Astragalus cicer) (11) Blue Flax (Linum lewisii) (Actually Native) (12) Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) Of the 31 species approved, 21 species are native. On a seed weight basis, 65% of the seeds to be planted are native species seed. The introduced species were included in the mixture because they were thought to be necessary to control erosion and because they provide forage for wildlife and livestock on the reclaimed area. The research at Colowyo by the Colorado State University (CSU) Agronomy Department has documented the superiority of the introduced species for revegetation purposes compared with other species under similar conditions. The CSU study and two progress reports are set forth in Exhibit 10, Vegetation Information. None of the introduced species are poisonous or noxious. For further discussion of the value of introduced species for obtaining the desired post -mining vegetative community of the same seasonal variety and lifeform of the pre -mined area, refer to Section 2.05. For post -2008 revegetation, the seed mix is comprised entirely of native species with the specific exceptions described below. Introduced species would only be utilized in four possible circumstances. The first would be reclaimed areas exhibiting a post -mining land use of pastureland (specifically targeting domestic livestock grazing and/or haying operations). The second would be in small areas potentially susceptible to excessive erosion where at the discretion of Colowyo's reclamation coordinator, introduced Rule 4 Performance Standards 4-41 Revision Date: 1/31/18 Revision No.: TR -119