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"fhe postmining land use for Mine 3 is pastureland and, as such, it is no[ anticipated to establish shrubs on the <br />reclaimed lands. The areas surrounding [he reclaimed parcels provide shrub for wildlife. The establishment of <br />• grasses in [he area will be utilized by elk, bode in the fall as [hey go into winter and in the spring coming out of <br />winter. <br />Herbage production on the Energy Mine No. 3 bond release tract, seeded in May 1974, is indicative of the <br />productivity that can he expected on reclaimed sites within the proposed permit area, even [hough less <br />sophisticated seed mixhirzs and reclamation techniques were utilized in [he revegeta[ion effort. <br />Predicted forage production on the bond release site was described by the Soil Consen-anon Service as 42~ pounds <br />of air-dry forage per acre in unfavorable yeah, 56~ pounds during normal years, and 860 pounds during favorable <br />years. Productivity data was first taken on the bond release tract in August of 1976 and production of seeded <br />grasses that year amounted to 437 pounds. In August of 1977, the driest year ever recorded in northwest Colorado, <br />productirni of the seeded species averaged 1,363 pounds per acre. In 1978, a median year, and 1979, a favorable <br />year, forage production averaged 2,626 pounds per acre. Six years after seeding (1980), forage production was <br />Pound to be 2,303 pounds per acre. <br />• <br />~J <br />APPROVED JUL 1 8 199 <br />"rR 97-OS 2.05-93 Revised 4/29/97 <br />