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Ms. Katie Fendel May 25, 2005 Leonard Rice Engineers Page 3 and may adversely affect the growth of native species. The costs of these amendments should be included in the cost estimates. • Erosion control methods should include hydromulching with tackifier, and use of a variety of erosion control blankets. • The xeric seed mixture is generally acceptable, although it may need to be altered to be more site-specific. The xeric mixture includes big bluestem, a species that requires a lot of moisture. Also, the mix does not include many rhizomatous grasses such as western wheatgrass. 12hizomatous grasses have root systems that help stabilize steep slopes and would be especially desirous on the steep slopes of these sites. • The applicant plans to seed using hydroseeding, which is not the most appropriate method for seeding dry sites. For hydroseeding to be successful, the site must have enough water to keep the seeds moist; as a general rule, hydroseeding is unsuccessful in areas receiving less than 20 inches of precipitation a year. The average precipitation in this area is between 9 and 12 inches a year. • Because of the dry and steep conditions of the area, portions of the site may need to be reseeded several times, especially if hyrdoseeding is used. • Many of the upland shrub species such as mountain mahogany are difficult to establish. These slow-growing species will probably require supplemental watering, protection from browsing, miccorhyzal inoculations, and other techniques to encourage successful establishment. • The stated planting medium of 2 or more feet of fine materials with a very thin layer (2 to 4 inches) of topsoil may not be an adequate medium for growth of the shrubs and trees described in the plan. • The reclamation cost estimates (March 23, 2005) are very low for topsoil placement, grading, seeding and planting. These cost estimates are not adequate for the successful establishment of wildlife habitat. For example, a CDOT project in Black Hawk in 2000 had a seeding bid of $1,600/acre; the MMRR quarry project reclamation plan is estimated at only $400/acre for seeding. The average bid for deciduous shnab costs for planting and installation on CDOT projects in 2000 was $21.88 per shrub, which is much higher than the $4.35 to $8.80 cost proposed for this quarry project. • This reclamation plan does not address noxious weed control. Noxious weed invasion could detrimentally impact the stated goal of re-establishing the pre- existing wildlife habitat. Also, the Colorado State Noxious Weed Control Act requires weed control for particulaz species. • This reclamation plan does not include monitoring to determine if wildlife habitat has been established. Success criteria should be established for percentage of native species cover establishment and native shrub survival. The site should be monitored annually to determine if the success criteria outlined in the monitoring plan has been met. Also, noxious weed species cover should be monitored, and methods for weed control should be outlined. Consultants in Natural Resources and the Environment