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• DETERMINING FINAL REVEGETATION SUCCESS <br />CEC has elected to use a reference area and technical standards for the evaluation <br />of revegetation success at the Keenesburg Mine site. The reference area will be <br />used to establish revegetation success criteria for the parameters of total <br />vegetation cover and herbaceous production. A reference area on the Osgood <br />sand (Osgood reference area) was established during the first permit term at the <br />mine site to the west of the mine entrance road. The reference area has been <br />fenced and managed to maintain a high quality vegetation community. For the <br />parameter of species composition, a quantitative success standard based on relative <br />cover was developed by the Colorado Division of Minerals and Geology and <br />Coors Energy Company. Since there is no requirement for the replanting of <br />woody plants, there is no woody plant density success criterion. <br />Sam~ing Methods. The Osgood reference azea and the reclaimed area(s) will be <br />sampled separately to allow separate determinations of sample adequacy. The <br />reclaimed area maybe treated as a single type or divided into parcels, based on <br />seeding date or other logical criteria. Sample locations within all reclaimed parcels <br />and the reference area will be randomly selected using randomly generated grid <br />coordinates overlain on a map of the mine. <br />• Transect and quadrat locations are randomly selected prior to the commencement <br />of field work. The reclaimed area(s) to be sampled and the reference area are <br />divided into a grid on the mine map. Horizontal and vertical axes are assigned a <br />unique alphabetic or numeric character. Characters are then randomly generated, <br />and sample points established based on their unique [x,yJ Cartesian coordinates. <br />Extra sample points are generated and plotted, to be used if a given location is not <br />available for sampling (e.g., the sample point falls on an existing road or other <br />structure). <br />Total vegetation cover. Vegetation cover transects will be randomly located <br />within the reclaimed or reference areas. Transects will be of a length consistent <br />with Colorado Division ofMinerals and Geology regulations. At this time, <br />quadrats of 25-50 meters in length are proposed for the Osgood reference area and <br />reclaimed areas at the mine. A total of fifty points will be collected per transect, <br />using point transect methods. Each transect will serve as a sample unit. Points <br />will be collected using a stationary optical sighting device to maximize <br />reproducibility and precision. In multiple layers of vegetation, first hits will be <br />recorded for total vegetation cover, while subsequent "hits" will be used to <br />calculate relative vegetation species cover. Vegetation cover data will be collected <br />from both the reclaimed area(s) and reference area. For bond release, sufficient <br />numbers of samples will be collected to reach sample adequacy. <br /> <br />116 <br />