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Keenesburg Mine 2018 Vegetation Monitoring Report <br />2.5 Species Composition <br />During cover sampling, all plant species occurring within one meter of either side of the cover <br />sample transect were noted as present within each sample. These species are presented in the <br />data tables for each Reclamation Area (Appendix A) as well as on the complete species list <br />(Appendix Q. <br />Species composition information for comparison to the final revegetation success criterion was <br />derived from quantitative relative vegetation cover data. The total hits (first hits and subsequent <br />hits) for each species were used to calculate relative cover as a basis for evaluation of the <br />importance of each encountered plant species and life form. <br />2.6 Photographs <br />A photograph was taken at the start point of each cover transect looking along the length of the <br />transect. These photos are presented in Appendix E. <br />2.7 Species Identification and Nomenclature <br />Species that were not readily identified in the field were collected for later identification. <br />Specimens were identified using floral keys including Weber and Wittmann (2001) and Wingate <br />(1994). Nomenclature follows the NRCS Plants Database (2018). <br />3 RECLAMATION SUCCESS STANDARDS <br />The Keenesburg Mine Reclamation Permit includes a species composition standard and <br />predictive equations to determine the success standards for vegetation cover and herbaceous <br />production. Both the vegetation cover and herbaceous production equations use the previous <br />year's precipitation (September — July) to predict the success standard for any given year. These <br />equations are as follows, where x is equal to the cumulative September — July precipitation: <br />Vegetation Cover Standard = -0.0127x3+0.2115x'+2.1772x <br />Herbaceous Production Standard = 0.4666x2.1405 <br />When these equations were developed, species listed by the Colorado Department of Agriculture <br />as noxious weeds were not excluded from the data. In 2012, DRMS approved a Technical <br />Revision (TR43) to the Keenesburg Mine Reclamation Permit to update the equations to remove <br />noxious plant species from both the cover and production standards. The vegetation cover <br />standard was again updated in a Minor Revision (MR46) to the permit. <br />To meet the reclamation standard specified in the permit, data are subjected to hypothesis testing <br />as described in the DRMS Guideline Regarding Selected Coal Mine Bond Release Issues <br />(DRMS 1995). Per this guideline, Reclamation Areas meet the success standard if the dataset is <br />not significantly different from 90% of the standard using a one -sample T-test with a one -tailed <br />confidence interval of 90%. Data must also meet the assumptions of approximately normal <br />distribution and sample adequacy. Noxious species cover or production is removed as well as <br />annual vegetation cover in excess of 10% of the overall average for each Reclamation Area to <br />derive the allowable vegetation cover value used for hypothesis testing. <br />Species composition is considered an indicator of successful vegetation establishment and a <br />diverse vegetation community. The species composition standard for the Keenesburg Mine <br />requires that there be at least four perennial species, of which three are warm season grasses and <br />Habitat Management, Inc. 10 October 2018 <br />