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Keenesburg Mine 2018 Vegetation Monitoring Report <br />5 2018 PEST & DISEASE INSPECTIONS <br />Habitat Management was contracted to completed quarterly pest and disease inspections at the <br />Keenesburg Mine in 2018. These inspections were completed on March 301, June 14`h, <br />September 13`h, respectively, for the first three quarters and the fourth quarter inspection has not <br />yet been conducted. The reports from each quarterly inspection are included in Appendix F. <br />6 RESULTS <br />Vegetation cover, species composition, and herbaceous production (if applicable) results for each <br />Reclamation Area are summarized below. Results for Reclamation Areas monitored for Phase II <br />bond release (Areas 25, 32, 33, and 34) are presented first followed by those areas monitored for <br />Phase III bond release (Areas 29, 30, and 31). <br />Complete vegetation cover and herbaceous production data for each Reclamation Area are <br />presented in Appendix A. A complete species list for all Reclamation Areas is presented in <br />Appendix C. <br />6.1 Phase II Monitoring <br />Reclamation Areas 25, 32, 33, and 34 were monitored for Phase II bond release. <br />6.1.1 Reclamation Area 25 <br />Reclamation Area 25 is a 12.6 -acre parcel east of the long-term spoil area. This area was graded <br />to blend into the reclaimed areas resulting in a gentle, southwest -facing slope. Revegetation <br />seeding with the DRMS-approved permanent seed mixture took place in 1995, but it was <br />repeated in 2002 and 2012 due to insufficient vegetation cover. <br />Total vegetation cover on Reclamation Area 25 averaged 32.7% (Table 2, Appendix A); <br />however, total non -noxious vegetation cover was only 25.2%. The only species contributing to <br />the cover in all 15 transects were sand dropseed (Sporobolzts cryptandnts) and cheatgrass which <br />together comprised 74.1 % of the relative cover. An additional 11.4% was contributed by prairie <br />sandreed (Calamovilfa longifolia) and the other 14.5% was contributed by 11 different species. <br />Cheatgrass contributed 24.3% of the total relative cover; however, with cheatgrass removed two <br />more species contributed more than 3% of the relative cover: sand bluestem (Andropogon hallii) <br />and sixweeks fescue (Vulpia octoflora). <br />Twenty species from six life forms were encountered along the transects (Appendix Q. Thirteen <br />grasses, one forb, and one woody species contributed to the cover data; 14 of which were native <br />or desirable and one of which was noxious (Table 3). There were 11 perennial species and three <br />annual species. Both warm and cool season desirable grass species contributed to the cover, with <br />seven warm season perennial species, four cool season perennial species, and one cool season <br />annual species. <br />Non -noxious vegetation cover in Reclamation Area 25 met sample adequacy with the minimum <br />15 samples. The allowable vegetation cover was not high enough to meet the technical standard <br />when subjected to hypothesis testing. Nine perennial warm season grasses and five perennial <br />cool season grasses were observed along the transects which meets the Phase II bond release <br />success criteria. <br />Habitat Management, Inc. 12 October 2018 <br />