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Keenesburg Mine 2018 Vegetation Monitoring Report <br />6.2.1 Reclamation Area 29 <br />Reclamation Area 29 is an 8.1 -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 2003. Per approval from <br />DRMS, Reclamation Area 23 was combined with Reclamation Area 29 in 2018. This area is a <br />0.7 -acre parcel, formerly part of the B Pit mining area, that was graded to blend into the <br />reclaimed mining and operational areas to the east resulting in an almost flat, east -facing slope. <br />Final revegetation seeding with the DRMS-approved permanent seed mixture took place in <br />November 2002. The total area included in the Reclamation Area 29 sampling was 8.8 acres. <br />Total vegetation cover on Reclamation Area 29 averaged 42.7% (Table 14, Appendix A) which <br />was a decrease from the 46.4% cover observed in 2016. However, non -noxious vegetation cover <br />was 40.4% which was a large increase from the 14.4% observed in 2016. Non -noxious <br />vegetation cover in Reclamation Area 29 met sample adequacy with the minimum 15 samples. <br />Six annual species (two native annual grasses, two native annual forbs, and two introduced <br />annual forbs) contributed a total of 31.6% of the overall relative cover which exceeded the <br />allowable 10% to be used in final hypothesis testing. Thus, the average allowable vegetation <br />cover was only 30.9%. <br />The only species contributing to the cover in all 15 transects was sand dropseed which <br />contributed 27.5% of the overall relative cover. Cheatgrass contributed only 5.3% of the total <br />relative cover which was a substantial decrease from the 18.5% relative cover observed in 2016. <br />With cheatgrass removed six species contributed more than 3% of the relative cover including <br />(in decreasing order): sand dropseed, false buffalograss, sixweeks fescue, sand bluestem, blue <br />grama, prairie sandreed, and Canadian horseweed (Conyza canadensis). <br />Total non -noxious herbaceous production within Reclamation Area 29 averaged 80.1 g/m2 in <br />2018 (Table 14, Appendix A) which is less than half the 236.7 g/m2 production observed in <br />2016. Annual species accounted for 24% of this production which exceeded the allowable 10% <br />to be used in final hypothesis testing. Thus, the average allowable herbaceous production was <br />only 68.6 g/m2. <br />Seventeen species from seven life forms contributed to the cover data and another four species <br />were encountered along the transects (Table 15, Appendix Q. Twelve grasses, seven forbs, and <br />two woody species were recorded, 17 of which were native or desirable and four were <br />introduced. There were 13 perennial species and eight annual species. Both warm and cool <br />season grass species contributed to the cover including seven warm season perennial species, one <br />cool season perennial species, one warm season annual species, and two cool season annual <br />species. <br />The allowable vegetation cover passed the technical standard when subjected to hypothesis <br />testing, but the allowable herbaceous production did not (Table 16). Four warm season perennial <br />grass species and no cool season perennial species contributed greater than 3% and less than <br />40% of the non -noxious relative cover. Thus, the Phase III bond release success criteria were not <br />met. It is worth noting that cool season perennial grasses contributed 2.2% of the relative cover <br />and that native annual cool season grass species contributed 25.6% of the relative cover. <br />Habitat Management, Inc. 19 October 2018 <br />