2018-09-04_PERMIT FILE - C1981019A

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RULE 4 PERFORMANCE STANDARDS In the new South Taylor (PR -02) permit area all reclaimed post -2008 grazinglands (grasslands) shall be compared to weighted parameters from the 1980 Mountain Shrub RA (52% weight), the 1981 Sagebrush RA (25% weight), and the 1984 Aspen RA (23% weight) in accordance with 4.15.7(4)(b). All post -2008 lands on the new South Taylor (PR -02) permit area that evolve into a Sagebrush Steppe community' will be directly compared to the 1981 Sagebrush RA. 4.15.8 Revegetation Success Criteria Colowyo will meet the requirements of this Subsection to insure that the post -mining vegetation will be adequate for final bond release. As delineated under Subsections 4.15.7 and 2.05.4, Colowyo will utilize established reference areas (see Section 4.15.7 above) for the purpose of comparing vegetation information between the reclaimed area and the undisturbed area for the variables of ground cover and production. For the variables of woody plant density and species diversity, Colowyo shall compare revegetated area parameters against defined standards detailed later in this section. Data to be used in these comparisons must be from statistically adequate sampling (where necessary) as indicated in Rule 4.15.11. In instances where grazingland targeted reclamation areas exhibit the characteristics of the sagebrush steppe areas and can meet the release standards for core or ecotonal sagebrush steppe, Colowyo will seek release and credit for the creation of those areas towards fulfillment of the minimum habitat development requirement post - 2008 (450 acres). In the unlikely but not impossible event that areas targeted for sagebrush steppe display community characteristics that will not meet the sagebrush steepe area release criteria but do for the grazingland criteria, Colowyo will designate those acres as grazingland. Colowyo will have to specifically designate the location of both grazingland and sagebrush steppe areas prior to the initiation of phase III bond release data collection. For descriptive purposes, "evolved" sagebrush steppe areas refer to lands originally seeded to grazingland that exhibit sufficient community characteristics of the sagebrush steppe community to be fully released as either core or ecotonal areas. Areas defined as "targeted" sagebrush steppe are by definition the areas originally seeded to the sagebrush steppe plant community that exhibit the characteristics of that community and meet either the core or ecotonal requirement for full release. Herbaceous Cover For both Pre -2008 and Post -2008 revegetation targeting (and achieving) the rangeland land use subcomponent ofrg azingland, herbaceous cover of the revegetated area will be considered adequate for final bond release if it is not less than 90% of the herbaceous cover as determined from the reference areas with a 90% statistical confidence utilizing a standard students statistical t-test comparison of the means. As allowed under the rules promulgated on 9/14/05, these comparisons may utilize one of three methods detailed under Rule 4.15.11 (2) [(a), (b) or (c)]. Also as allowed by Rule 4.15.7 (4), either weighted -average or individual protocols will be followed depending on the resulting community that evolves (see Section 4.15.7 above). For grassland testing the weighted average approach (Rule 4.15.7 (4) (b)) will be utilized where reference area data and revegetated area data are "weighted" (each combined into single values for comparison) based on the proportional acreage of pre -mine communities within the disturbance area footprint. Testing will then follow procedures detailed under Rule 4.15.11 (2) with preference being given first to subsection (a) [direct comparison], second to subsection (c) [reverse -null testing], and third subsection (b) [classic t-test]. Rule 4 Performance Standards 4-64 Revision Date: 5/25/18 Revision No.: RN -07