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. 3.0 RESULTS <br />The redaimed area which is the subject of this bond release application was revegetated in 1994 <br />and its subsequent history has been documented in the approved redamation plan and annual reports <br />submitted to the DMG over the years and is not presented again in this document. To fadfitale an <br />evaluation of revegetation success, comparison has been made with parameters from the approved <br />reference area and / or standards as appropriate. Using accepted scientlfic procedures and statistical <br />analyses, vegetation data collected from the reclaimed area as well as that collected from the reference <br />area in 2000 have been organized, summarized, and presented on a variety of tables and charts in <br />Appendix TC. <br />3.7 General <br />Review of the summary data presented on Table RS 1 indicates that the Aoalicant's revegetation <br />efforts for the Coal Ridce #1 Mine have passed all applicable comparisons in accordance with Rule 3.03. <br />Release of Pertormance Bonds as well as those of the promulGated Vegetation Guidelines (April 18. <br />19951. Therefore. the Coal Ridge #1 Mine meets all of the revegetation criteria for release of Phase II <br />bonds. <br />_ 3.2 Ground Cover <br />-r <br />~ Evaluation of the ground cover variable in accordance with Rule 3.03 utilizing the approved <br />s comparison protocols detailed above resuR in a positive finding regarding the 2000 sampling data, In this <br />c <br />- regard, review of the first portion of Table RS 1 as well as Chart C1 indicates that the mean absolute <br />~~ - <br />3 ground cover of the redaimed sagebrush /grassland type (44.40'/0) is ettedively equal to 90% of the <br />~ analogous value for the reference area (44.19%) in 2()D0. No hypothesis testing is required because the <br />cover mean of the reclaimed area is equal to or greater than 90% of the reference area and the areas <br />were sampled to the required level of adequacy (whereby: n > n,;,). This positive finding is further <br />emphasized when considering that the reference area exhibited little to no grazing impact whereas the <br />\ sagebrush /grassland portion of the redaimed area exhibited moderately heavy grazing on average (see <br />Table C1, immediately below the transact designation). It was estimated in the field that at a minimum 15 <br />to 20 percent of the ground cover was absent as a result of the moderately heavy grazing impacts which <br />had occurred earlier in the season. <br />u Review of Table C4 indicates that the reference area was co-dominated by big sagebrush (Artemisia <br />tridentate) and crested wheatgrass (Agropyron cristaturr~. On the other hand, the reclaimed sagebrush / <br />aaac~m Q76a~3 ~¢.'Ana~0. luc. Page 10 NCIG -Coal Ridge t1 -Phase II Bond Release Ewluadon <br />