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9.0 Weed and Pest Control Plan <br />A number of noxious weeds occur in the region surrounding the New Horizon Mine area and in <br />the county of Montrose, where the New Horizon Mine is located. New Horizon will use the <br />Montrose County (2010) and San Miguel County (2002) Noxious Weed list. Reclaimed areas or <br />mine related associated disturbances such as roadsides and facilities will be monitored for <br />noxious weed infestations. Monitoring will be conducted either through the formal revegetation <br />monitoring program or from qualified contract weed management services. If noxious weed <br />infestations occur at levels which may interfere with successful reclamation, or are detrimental to <br />stand quality, weed control using herbicides, plowing, mowing or other normal husbandry <br />practices will be implemented, depending on the particular weed species and management <br />considerations and objectives. <br />Controlled areas will be monitored for effectiveness of the treatments. Follow-up treatments <br />will be conducted as necessary. Because of the aggressiveness of certain weeds and other <br />variables that may impact the effectiveness of the control program, monitoring for level of <br />control and needed retreatment are critical aspects of the overall control program. Ongoing <br />revegetation monitoring and qualitative observation of reclaimed areas by New Horizon will <br />identify retreatment areas and any new areas of established weeds requiring control. Finally, as <br />new or improved methods of controlling noxious weeds through the use of herbicides (either <br />existing or new products) become available, they will be evaluated for incorporation into the <br />control program. In treatment areas where herbicidal control has been effective but the density <br />of desirable perennial species is too low to reestablish an effective vegetative cover, the area will <br />be reseeded using the approved permanent seed mix. <br />A record will be maintained of areas where herbicides are sprayed, the types and mixture of <br />herbicides used, and the date of treatment. This information will be reported in the Annual <br />Reclamation Report. <br />Gunnison's Prairie dog numbers in the Nucla area are great enough that colony extension into <br />reclaimed areas is a real threat. Colony establishment in current fields is an ongoing problem <br />for local operators, with the colonies causing significant damage to these fields. Local operators <br />and landowners will be involved in the control of prairie dogs. <br />Page 50 May 2016 (TR -75) <br />