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Rule 2: Permits <br />the belt transect. This method is consistent with the baseline collection of woody plant densities in which <br />individual stems were counted, regardless if multiple stems originated from an individual root crown. <br />Shrub sampling will be conducted on these plots to determine success for establishing shrubs on the <br />surface mine grassland community. No woody stem sampling will be conducted on other grassland areas <br />of the surface mine. All non -noxious woody plants present in the transects will be included in shrub counts, <br />including but not limited to all woody species present in the seed mixes proposed for remediation onsite <br />(i.e., Woods' rose, fourwing saltbush, winterfat, mountain mahogany, skunkbrush, and bitterbrush). <br />Production <br />A minimum of fifteen 0.25 square meter quadrants per community will be clipped for production or <br />standing biomass in Phase III sampling. Quadrants will always be located at the 15 -meter mark <br />along the transect on the right-hand side of the tape. Clipping will be conducted after the cover and <br />density measurements are collected. Vegetation within the quadrant will be clipped as close to the <br />ground as possible without pulling up roots and soil. Clipped vegetative biomass will be separated <br />by life form, bagged, weighed, dried, and reweighed. Only above -ground, current year's growth of <br />herbaceous species (not woody plants or succulents) at least half -way in the quadrant will be clipped <br />and bagged. The contents of the bags will be weighed to the nearest 0.1 gram. Sampling of <br />herbaceous production will occur at all herbaceous cover transects; sampling will conclude when sample <br />adequacy for the herbaceous cover sampling investigation is achieved or when 50 transects have been <br />sampled. <br />Wildlife <br />Deer and elk presence onsite will be evaluated with live animal observations and/or visual encounter <br />surveys (VES) to assess wildlife use of disturbed grassland areas. Live animal observations will be <br />collected during spring and early summer when elk activity is typically at the highest in the region. Field <br />teams consisting of mine staff will periodically conduct a visual survey of the disturbed area. If elk or <br />deer are present, the location, species and number of animals will be recorded along with any relevant <br />notes (e.g. behavior, age, sex, etc.). If possible, all observations of live animals will include the direction <br />of travel, behavior, use of habitat features, location relative to the transect, and/or food item, as <br />applicable. <br />If no animals are observed during the spring visual surveys and/or to provide additional data, VESs can be <br />performed in conjunction with summer vegetation sampling. VESs allow for qualitative estimates of the <br />abundance of deer and elk based on the amount of signs observed during the surveys (e.g., scat, <br />tracks, signs of foraging or bedding, and observations of live animals). A 5 meter wide and 25 meter <br />long belt transect will be established at up to five locations. The location of VES transects may be <br />chosen based on the presence of wildlife signs and/or co -located with vegetation percent cover or shrub <br />density transects if sampling is conducted concurrently. <br />Data Analysis <br />Data analysis methods for evaluating success will use a 90 percent statistical confidence interval for total <br />production and total cover using a one-sided T-test. Total vegetative production and total non -stratified <br />cover for revegetated areas will be at least 90 percent of identically composited reference area data. <br />Production includes the current year's above -ground biomass growth of herbaceous vegetation only. No <br />TR -20 Page 2.05-73 5-4-2018 <br />