2018-05-04_REVISION - C1996084 (3)

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Rule 2: Permits Revegetation Success Criteria Revegetation success will be based on the comparison of revegetated communities to corresponding unmined reference area communities. LCC will utilize an extended reference area (ERA) approach comprised of undisturbed areas within the intensive vegetation baseline inventory area. Map 2.04.10- 1 shows the disturbed areas superimposed on the vegetation community type map. Designated undisturbed areas form the ERA for Oak/Pinion and grassland extended reference areas. Potential ERA's for Hay Meadow vegetation communities are being investigated. The selected area will be indicated on Map 2.04.10-1 subject to evaluation and landowner consent. LCC will manage extended reference areas to achieve at least fair range condition. The Las Animas NRCS has provided two range site descriptions applicable to the soils underlying the extended reference areas: Loamy Foothill (#202) and Shallow Foothill (#204). Annual production during unfavorable years for these areas is estimated at 800 and 300 lb/ac, respectively. To achieve fair range condition the NRCS suggests the Climax Vegetation should be maintained within the range of 26 to 50 percent, respectively. For loamy foothill soils, this corresponds to grazing levels of 0.13 to 0.24 AUM/ac, for shallow foothill soils, this number ranges from 0.08 to 0.11 AUM/ac. LCC management of extended reference areas will meet these levels to maintain at least fair range conditions. Revegetated areas and the ERA, when appropriate, will be grazed at an appropriate level for at least two years during the last five years of responsibility for vegetative establishment. Grazing will be conducted so that it does not preclude acquisition of appropriate production, cover, and diversity data. Vegetation measurements will be conducted on revegetated areas and the ERA for at least the last two years of . bonding responsibility. The minimum period of responsibility for reestablishing vegetation will begin after the last seeding or other activity related to final reclamation unless it can be demonstrated that such work is a normal husbandry practice. Phase III bond release applications will not be submitted prior to the end of the tenth growing season from last seeding. To evaluate revegetation success. LCC will collect data from the revegetated area and ERA for production, cover, species diversity, woody stem density, and utility. Methods for data collection will be the same as for the 1996 baseline vegetation survey. In addition, wildlife use of reclaimed areas will be evaluated. Methods for the vegetation and wildlife surveys are detailed in Section 2.04.10. Point -intercept Cover Quantitative studies of community composition will employ the widely used point -intercept method. The technique is efficient and appropriate for plant communities at Lorencito Canyon, suitable for both large and small mosaics, and objective. At a minimum, fifteen transects will be sampled in each community type present in each disturbance area and corresponding reference area or sufficient transects will be sampled to reach sample adequacy. Vegetative community types occurring within the disturbance areas will include oak/pinyon pine and grassland'. Transects will be located in homogeneous vegetation units. Ground cover will be evaluated using the Cover -Point Optical Point Projection Device along each 25 - meter transect by sampling two points approximately one -meter apart for a total of 50 -points per transect. Each sample point will be determined by projecting the ocular sight vertically downward to the sample location on the transect and recording all "hits" as either litter, rock., bare ground, or vegetation by species. 1 No oak/pinyon pine areas were disturbed during mine operations, revegetation criteria will be evaluated for grassland areas only. TR -20 Page 2.05-71a 5-4-2018