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~. III. COMMENTS -COMPLIANCE Below are comments on the inspection. The comments include discussion of observations made during the inspection, Comments also describe any enforcement actions taken during the inspection and the facts or evidence supporting the enforcement action. i Ii This was a complete inspection of the OC#2 Mine conducted by Dan Mathew§ of CDRMS. Weather was clear and warm Site conditions were dry, with no water in the sediment pond. The area receivgd below normal snowfall over the winter, and the growing season so far has been quite dry. Vegetation on both [he mine site and adjacent native areas is showing some signs of stress due to the dry conditions. Randall Pool, Castleton Ranch Foreman, has replaced Tom Sanders as the primary site contact for the Division. Roads: The remaining permanent road segment was stable, with no rills or signs of recent use Hydrologic Balance: As noted, the site was dry, with no water in the sediment pond. Revegetation/Reclamation Success: Fence gates were closed when I arrived a[ the site, and fence repairs noted to be necessary in the inspection report for October 2006 had been properly compl~ted. The perimeter fence now appears to be in satisfactory condition and should effectively preclude cattle from accessing the reclaimed slopes inside the fence. It was evident that [here had been no cattle on the reclamation [his year, and no catty were present in the adjacent pastures. There was evidence of concentrated elk use in some areas. I~ The 2.34 acre fenced slope portion of the reclaimed area was interseeded witH a mix consisting of Eve native grasses and blue flax (13.3 # per acre PLS), plus mountain big sagebrush (0.1 # per acre ILLS), in October 2006. There has been some recent germination of seeded grasses, blue flax, and sagebrush scattered acro s the site, with several areas of fairly high density grass seedlings. However, growth of the seedlings is not yet sufficient to make a significant visual impact on the site. Given the curcent dry site conditions, adequate summer rains maybe critical for survival and establishment of the new seedlings, While growth of previously established vegetation on the site is modest, due to the dry winter and spring, the site did benefit from good growing conditions last year, and rest from livestock g fazing last year and this spring. A fairly high percentage of the older, established grass plants were in flower at the time oPthe inspection. Continued rest from livestock grazing is planned through 2009, to provide the recently seeded vegetation at~ opportunity to become established, and to allow [he site to recover from pas[ drought and concentrated use. The small patches of Canada thistle noted in past inspection reports, in the ngrtheast portion of the site are still evident, but density and vigor seem reduced compared to previous years, and there has been no expansion of the patches. Continued monitoring and treatment (including a September herbicide application) will be warranted. In addition, a small patch of what appears to be scentless chamomile was noted along the roadside and embankment, just inside the gate. I noticed a couple of individual plants near [he center of the reclamation and pulled theta up, but [here were too many weeds in the main patch near the gate for me to pull. Scentless chamomile is an annual, white petaled "daisy" type flower, with highly dissected leaves, [hat is included as a "List B" noxious weed on the state noxious weed list. The small patch should be properly treated to prevent further spread across the reclaimed site. Gunnison County Weed Control should be contacted regarding control measures; but given that it is an annual, chopping or pulling the plants up now before they mature seed maybe warranted, along with future monitoring and Vestment as necessary. Support Facilities: As noted, Castleton Ranch fence crew performed considerable fence maintenance work at the site during 2006 and earlier this year, and the fence now appears to be in sound ~ondition. Arrangements have been made with Castleton Ranch to perform fence maintenance and weed control at the site, as conditions warrant, through 2009.