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With regard to Phase II bond release,details of the approved reclamation plan are given in Exhibit 2.05- <br /> E6,Revegetation Plan,which states that: <br /> As a first step in seedbed preparation, in areas where soil will be replaced, compacted surfaces <br /> will be ripped to a depth of at least 12 inches before applying soil. In areas where soil is not <br /> available for replacement or where surface materials are suitable, areas will not be ripped to a <br /> depth that exposes any undesirable underlying materials. If this depth is less than six inches, then <br /> soil will be added to attain a minimum depth ofsix inches. <br /> The woody stem standard has been waived on all reclaimed areas at the request of the land <br /> owners/managers(letters from representatives of the BLM,the USFS and Hotchkiss Ranches can be <br /> found in Exhibit 2.05-E6 Revegetation Plan, and cite the paucity and desirability of open grassland and <br /> meadows in the area). Specific requirements of the plan(including the approved seed mix,the success <br /> criteria and the sampling methodology)depend on the following factors: <br /> • When the disturbance occurred(pre-law or post-law) <br /> • Surface ownership (USFS,BLM, Oxbow or Hotchkiss Ranches) <br /> • Vegetation community(Pinon juniper,Mountain shrub or Aspen/Conifer woodland) <br /> • Post-mining land use(Undeveloped land or Industrial/Commercial) <br /> The sites included in the SL-6 application were disturbed post-law and have been approved for a post- <br /> mining land use of"Undeveloped Land". Topsoil was salvaged at the time of disturbance and conserved <br /> in stockpiles and windrowed berms(along roads). The land is owned by Oxbow, and the vegetative <br /> community is Pinon juniper. <br /> Vegetation cover of the reclaimed area will be successful when total live vegetation cover of the <br /> reclaimed areas is equal to or greater than 90 percent of the total herbaceous vegetation cover of the <br /> approved extended reference area with 90 percent statistical confidence <br /> III. OBSERVATIONS AND FINDINGS <br /> PHASE II <br /> Revegetation sampling and a sedimentology demonstration for the sites included in Table 1 were <br /> completed in 2021. <br /> Projected sediment yields from the reclaimed areas and an adjacent extended reference area were <br /> evaluated using the Universal Soil Loss Equation and compared, in accordance with the method <br /> described in Exhibit 2.05-E6, Revegetation Plan, of the PAP. <br /> Vegetation sampling took place between June 8 and 18,2021. Vegetative cover was estimated using the <br /> point-intercept method. Cover transects were 25 m long,with sample data points collected at I m <br /> intervals, on either side of the transect, spaced 1.5 m apart(giving 50 data points per transect, each <br /> reported by individual plant species). Each transect corresponds to a single sample unit. <br /> C-1981-022,SL-6 Page 6 of 9 <br />