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I • EXECUTIVE SUMMARY <br />While the Colorado Surface Coal Nfming Reclamation Act requires operators to establish <br />"a diverse, effective, and permanent vegetative cover of the same seasonal variety native <br />to the area of land to be affected and capable of self-regeneration and plant succession at <br />least equal in extent of cover to the natural vegetation of the area", the means for <br />evaluating whether this goal has been achieved rely predominantly on comparisons to <br />native vegetation communities. These reference azeas may or may not resemble the <br />reclaimed vegetation community in plant morphology, predominant seasonality, or species <br />composition. The reclaimed vegetation community certainly varies from the native <br />community in the physical features of subsurface structure, soil composition and depth, <br />ambient hydrology, and age. To use the native community for the purpose of assigning <br />revegetation success criteria raises equity issues. <br />Over the last eight growing seasons (1994-2001) Savage and Savage on behalf of Coors <br />Energy Company has quantitatively evaluated the native vegetation community and <br />reclaimed areas of varying ages at the Keenesburg Mine. The vegetation communities <br />were evaluated for vegetation cover by species, total herbaceous production by lifeform, <br />and species composition. The hypothesized differences between the native community and <br />the reclaimed areas were confirmed. Alternative measures to assess revegetation success <br />were sought. Along-term precipitation record from the mine site was available, and the <br />feasibility of using the precipitation data as a predictive tool was investigated for <br />• vegetation cover and herbaceous production. <br />By using the total accumulation of precipitation between the end of one growing season <br />and the middle of the next (September-July), two predictive equations, one for total <br />vegetation cover and one for total herbaceous production were developed. These <br />equations are proposed to replace the currerrt Osgood sand reference area for use in <br />revegetation success evaluations of vegetation cover and herbaceous production. <br />Based on quantitative species relative cover information from the period of record, a new <br />species composition record was assembled that more accurately reflects the dominance <br />and variety of species in the native community over time. This record ted to revision of <br />the species composition success criterion that was based on one season of sampling. <br /> <br />-1- <br />