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• Rule 2.05.4(2)(e) -Reclamation Plan Sample adequacy was not met for production in mine area sagebrush, mixed brush, or aspen types. A relatively low number of m sample plots (15 in sagebrush study area, 10 in mixed brush refernce area, and 15 in fhe aspen study area) were clipped. Resampling will be required. An estimate of tree density for the aspen Type is not included in the application. It is not clear in the application whether baseline vegetation data was derived soley from areas to be disturbed by mining. "Mine Ared', "Permit Area", "Study Ared', and "areas to be disturbed by mining" are all referred to in the vegetation sampling section of the permit. From Exhibit 10-I, it appears that sampling points were located in areas which will be disturbed within the permit area, but sampling points were also located within aspen and mixed brush types approximately I mile south of the permit area in the southern portion of the study area. Apparently, no sampling was done within aspen types that will be disturbed. Please clarify this. RESPONSE: Per agreement with CMLRD (D. Matthews, April 1983), herbaceous production was resampled in 1983 in the aspen, mixed brush, and sagebrush mine site and reference areas. A maximum number of production samples, as agreed with CMLRD, were collected as follows: aspen mine area and reference areas - 30; sagebrush and mixed brush on the mine area - 50; sagebrush and mixed brush on the reference areas - • 30. See Tab 10 Methodologies and Table 10-3. Tree densities for the aspen type were inadvertently omitted from earlier studies. Thus, as a part of the 1983 field work, which included sampling the aspen type from The mine area for cover, herbaceous production, and woody plant densities, tree densities were measured. See Table 10-3 and Appendix 10-2. The evolution of the Seneca II-W Mine Plan since initial vegetation studies were conducted in 1974, resulfed in vegetation baseline data which was collected from areas outside the mine area as iT is currently proposed. As presented in the current permit application, the 1983 field work consolidated efforts so that the data presented is almost exclusively from the current mine area. The exceptions to this are the reference areas. Per agreement with CMLRD, the sagebrush and mixed brush reference areas established during the 1979 field season were maintained. See Exhibit 10-I for locations. After a considerable search, the 1979 location for the aspen reference area could not be found. Thus, because the aspen type was being resampled for all parameters, it was decided That . anew aspen reference area would be located and sampled in 1983. The aspen reference area is located outside and immediately adjacent to the permit boundary as proposed in this application.