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The spring and early to mid-summer of 2000 was unusually dry and hot. Little precipitation and extremely hot days were experienced throughout the region during this period of time. As a result, soil moisture was extremely low. It is assumed that the low soil moisture content was exasperated on the mine bench outslopes by the lack of mulch cover. The five outslopes which were revegetated in 1999 were cazefully monitored on a number of occasions during the summer and fall of 2000, and annually on a periodic basis through the 2003 growing season. During 2000, some germination was observed to occur on each outslope as the summer progressed. The effects of the weather pattern could be observed to take a significant toll on the immature plants, however, as many of the grasses which had emerged as seedlings had died by mid-August. This observation was consistent at four of the five outslopes. These four slopes all have a south to southeast aspect, exposing them to the summer sun throughout the day. The lone exception to this pattern was the north facing outslope at Mine 3. This area experienced more significant germination. These observations indicated that the lack of moisture and exposure to the sun as a result of mulch removal in the fall of 1999, and throughout the 2000 growing season, severely impacted the expected germination rate, and thus the potential revegetation success, at most of the mine bench outslopes. However, the growth evidenced at the north facing slope at Mine 3 indicated that the technique used was viable, and could be mimicked, with some modification to accommodate climatic conditions and soil moisture retention characteristics. Because the Division believed that the methodology was sound, it was determined to make another attempt to stabilize the slopes through revegetative processes. However, to accommodate the severe drought and climatic conditions in Coal Basin, certain modifications to the revegetation methodology were indicated in order to improve the moisture holding capability of the mine bench outslopes, and to maintain the protective mulch cover. The conceptual improvements included: - Increase the number of constructed shelves per acre by ten percent to increase germination potential; - Aerially apply a liquid tackifier such as guaz-gum or "Earth Bound" to the mulch to increase the life span of the mulch on the slopes; - Plant trees on the slopes to help reduce mid-slope surficial soil creep; - Increase the number of shrubs using more mature plants, at the base of some outslopes to increase the effectiveness and shorten the length of time necessary to establish effective natural sediment barriers.