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will develop in the larger open blocks. These plantings will encourage localized areas of <br />regeneration versus a stem for stem restoration of the woody plants on every acre. The <br />combination of grading to create topographic diversity and concentrated shrub plantings will <br />mitigate the loss of shrub cover in the affected areas of the mine. <br />Sediment Ponds 005 and 006 are to be retained as permanent impoundments and will be left <br />intact ai the end of operations at Seneca it-W to provide livestock and wildlife watering <br />sources. Sediment Pond 009 will also be considered for permanent retention according to <br />appropriate regulatory criteria. These ponds will significantly enhance the water resources <br />available to livestock and wildlife on the permit area. <br />Upon completion of mining in an area and within the first several years after revegetation <br />activities, revegetation monitoring studies will be conducted. These monitoring studies will <br />provide both the mine manager and postmine manager or landowner with an excellent basis for <br />livestock carrying capacities and overall management of the area both during the bond liability <br />period and after release of the lands. In addition, wildlife managers will have detailed data on <br />vegetation and the amount and type of food and cover habitat available. <br />The general criteria for revegetation of the haul road corridor (tie-across road from County Road <br />53 to the power plant) is based on the following. The actual surface area disturbance will be <br />minimal (approximately 112 acres), thus making the regrading and seeding of the area fairly <br />simple. Areas of native vegetation dominated by sagebrush will be seeded to species for <br />foraging by livestock and big game. Over time, sagebrush will easily invade these seeded areas <br />from the surrounding stands of undisturbed sagebrush because of the relatively narrow width <br />of disturbance. Frischknecht (1963) and Mueggler (1956) found that sagebrush easily <br />reinvades areas that are disturbed and that seed will be contained in the soil as well as also <br />being windborne into the area. Reclaimed cropland will be incorporated into farming operations <br />as soon as respreading of topsoil occurs. Depending on the season and the location of the <br />reclaimed area in a management unit, it may either be seeded to a grain crop or incorporated <br />into a summer fallow program. The meadow, greasewood, and other lowland types will be <br />seeded with species adapted to wet saline or alkaline conditions. <br />The postmining land use, achieved through the reclamation and revegetation plans, will thus <br />provide for the highest possible economic return to the postmine land user. It will <br />10 <br />