Laserfiche WebLink
23 Determination of Current Annual Herbaceous Production • <br />At each sample site, current annual herbaceous production was collected from a '/2 mZ quadrat <br />frame placed one meter and 90° to the right (clockwise) of the ground cover transact thereby avoiding <br />vegetation trampled by investigators during sample site location (see Figure 1). Because of observed <br />field conditions, Longer quadrats of 2 meters length (total of 1 rr~ were used in the reference area. <br />Resulting data were then divided by a factor of two to allow direct comparison to data from the <br />revegetated area. From within each quadrat, all above ground current annual vegetation, with the <br />exception of woody species, within the vertical boundaries of the frame were clipped and bagged <br />separately by life form as follows: <br />Perennial Grass Perennia! Forbs <br />Annual Grasses and Forbs Noxious Weeds <br />All production samples were returned to the lab for drying and weighing. Drying occurred at 105° C <br />until a stable weight was achieved (24 hours). Samples were then re-weighed to the nearest 0.1 gram. <br />Wet weights determined in the field were used to facilitate the collection of an adequate sample. <br />2.4 Sample Adequacy Determination and Testing for Success <br />Subsequent to development of the original bond release text within approved permit documents for <br />the North Thompson Creek Mines, the Colorado DMG promulgated new guidelines (April 18, 1995) that <br />offer new and possibly more statistically appropriate testing procedures for the determination of <br />revegetation success. Since these new testing procedures do not supersede (predate) those in the <br />approved permit, the Applicant maintains the option of selecting the statistical procedures to be utilized for <br />final testing. Because the revegetation effort is so strong, the Applicant has opted to use the new <br />protocols preferred by the State (One Sample -Reverse Null Hypothesis Testing) for both years of the <br />analysis presented in this document. <br />When the reclaimed area has entered the final two years of the responsibility period (2000 and <br />2001), mean cover and production values and associated variances will be determined for the <br />revegetated community. These parameters will be determined using point-intercept along line-transacts <br />for ground cover and harvest methods for production from the revegetated community and the eMended • <br />reference area as indicated in Sections 2.1 through 2.3 above. Sampling in these areas will continue <br />(L°3^„DA3 ~3a ~~cc~~s, me Page 8 noun Tnerepnon creek w~ros anase o a a aana tae~ease Evawanon <br />