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Keenesburg Mine 2018 Vegetation Monitoring Report <br />6.1.2 Reclamation Area 32 <br />Reclamation Area 32 is a 5.5 -acre parcel that was formerly part of the B Pit mining area. This <br />area was graded to blend into the undisturbed area to the west and the reclaimed mining and <br />operational areas to the east resulting in a gentle, east -facing slope. Final revegetation seeding <br />with the DRMS-approved permanent seed mixture took place in November 2015. <br />Total vegetation cover on Reclamation Area 32 averaged 38.7% (Table 5, Appendix A), and <br />total non -noxious vegetation cover was 37.6%. Non -noxious vegetation cover in Reclamation <br />Area 32 met sample adequacy with 18 samples. The only species contributing to cover in all 18 <br />transects was blue grama (Boutelotta gracilis) which contributed 21.6% of the overall relative <br />cover. However, prairie sandreed, which was observed as present on all transects and contributed <br />to the cover on 17 of them, was the most dominant species contributing 54.6% of the overall <br />relative cover. Three other species were also observed on all 18 transects: bluebunch wheatgrass <br />(Pseudoroegneria spicata), sand dropseed, and cheatgrass. Cheatgrass only contributed 2.8% of <br />the total relative cover in this Reclamation Area. <br />Thirteen species from four life forms contributed to the cover data and three other species were <br />encountered along the transects (Table 6, Appendix Q. Fourteen grasses and two forbs were <br />recorded, 14 of which were native or desirable and two were introduced. There were 12 <br />perennial species and four annual species. Both warm and cool season grass species contributed <br />to the cover including eight warm season perennial species, three cool season perennial species, <br />and one cool season annual species. <br />The allowable vegetation cover passed the technical standard when subjected to hypothesis <br />testing (Table 7). Eight perennial warm season grasses and four perennial cool season grasses <br />were observed along the transects which also meets the Phase II bond release success criteria. <br />Table 5: Reclamation Area 32 Summary Statistics <br />Habitat Management, Inc. 14 October 2018 <br />Area 32 <br />Summary Statistics <br />Mean <br />SE <br />Absolute Cover Statistics <br />Total Ground Cover <br />81.3 <br />3.7 <br />Total Vegetation Cover <br />38.7 <br />2.7 <br />Non -Noxious Vegetation Cover <br />37.6 <br />2.6 <br />Allowable Vegetation Cover <br />37.6 <br />2.6 <br />Grass Cover <br />38.6 <br />2.7 <br />Forb Cover <br />0.1 <br />0.1 <br />Woody Cover <br />0.0 <br />0.0 <br />Non Noxious Relative Cover Statistics <br />Grass Cover <br />99.6 <br />0.4 <br />Forb Cover <br />0.4 <br />0.4 <br />Woody Cover <br />0.0 <br />0.0 <br />Habitat Management, Inc. 14 October 2018 <br />