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RULE 4 PERFORMANCE STANDARDS <br /> 4.15.9 Revegetation Success Criteria: Cropland <br /> Colowyo does not plan to return any of the mined area for use as cropland; therefore, the <br /> requirements of this Subsection are not applicable to Colowyo. <br /> 4.15.10 Revegetation Success Criteria: Previously Mined Areas: Areas to be Developed for <br /> Industrial or Residential Use <br /> Colowyo does not plan to develop any areas to industrial or residential use; therefore, the <br /> requirements of this Subsection are not applicable to Colowyo. <br /> 4.15.11 Revegetation Sampling Methods and Statistical Demonstrations for Revegetation <br /> Success Revegetation Community Mapping/Stratification <br /> Unless new, CDRMS approved, and superior monitoring and sampling metrics are developed,the <br /> following metrics will be implemented at Colowyo to document revegetation progress and success. <br /> During monitoring of revegetated units, developing shrub patches will be identified and as <br /> necessary delineated (circumnavigated with a sub-meter GPS unit to document boundaries) to <br /> facilitate mapping that in turn will represent the juxtaposition (stratification) of developing <br /> communities. As indicated previously,delineated shrub patches will be classified as either"core" <br /> areas or "ecotonal" areas depending on apparent density of developing shrub populations. Such <br /> stratification is necessary, as success criteria associated with areas of wildlife habitat will be <br /> applicable to shrub-dominated communities as opposed to grassland success criteria applicable to <br /> remaining revegetation efforts targeting livestock grazing land uses. <br /> Sample Layout <br /> The sample layout protocol for revegetation monitoring and bond release evaluations shall be a <br /> systematic procedure designed to better account for the heterogeneous expression of seedings <br /> within reclaimed areas while precluding bias in the sample site selection process. By design, the <br /> procedure is initiated randomly, and thereafter, samples are located in a systematic manner, along <br /> grid coordinates spaced at fixed distances,e.g.200 ft. In this manner,"representation"from across <br /> the target reclamation unit is "forced" rather than risking the chance that significant pockets are <br /> entirely missed, or overemphasized as often occurs with simple random sampling. <br /> Older reclaimed units (e.g., 7+ years) shall receive a minimum of 20 ground cover transects and <br /> in monitoring areas—co-located shrub density belts. Production for monitoring purposes shall be <br /> collected from a representative five of these 20 sample points. For bond release efforts,production <br /> will be collected from a statistically adequate sample as defined below. Monitoring efforts for <br /> younger reclaimed units(e.g.,2 to 4 years) shall receive 15 transects and co-located woody density <br /> belts (as necessary) but no production sampling. First year units will receive one cluster of five <br /> emergent density quadrats spread in a representative manner for approximately every two acres of <br /> reclamation. For units 50 acres or larger, a five-quadrat cluster should be collected from every 4 <br /> acres of reclamation. With regard to any two-year old or older reclamation unit that is smaller <br /> than about 3 acres, the number of samples (for monitoring) shall be limited to five. <br /> Rule 4 Performance Standards 4-63 Revision Date: 12/20/19 <br /> Revision No.: TR-135 <br />