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1 <br />' Appendu A - l998 & 1997 Ve,getmiort Samp(inR Data <br />' METHODS <br />Vegetative sampling was conducted on July 15, 16, and 17 of 1998 and August 6, 7, and 8 of <br />' 1997. Sampling was conducted for cover, production, species diversity, and shrub density. <br />Samplings were conducted in each phase of reclamation and the big sagebrush reference area. <br />' Vegetative cover was sampled using 50-meter point-intercept transects that were randomly located <br />~ and orientated within each sampling area. Since the acreage of reclamation Phases I, 11, and III <br />' are small, CDMG agreed that the areas could be sam led se ara lu or analysis. <br />Sampling began witft_t 5 rrancecrc in Phases I II and III and Phase IV Transect locations or <br />orientations that resulted in overlap of previous transects or the sampling area boundary were <br />' randomly redirected prior to the point of overlap. Vegetative ground cover was evaluated by <br />placing a fifty meter tape along each transect location. Two sampling points (one meter apart) on <br />both sides of the transect were sampled at one meter intervals, resulting in 100 sample points per <br />transect. Each corresponding sample point was determined by projection of the ocular sight <br />(Cover-Point Optical Point Projection Device, Model 2) vertically downward and physically <br />recording all manner of "first hits". The "fast-hits" were recorded as rock, bare ground, litter, <br />' or live vegetation. Live vegetation was further classified to genus and species. <br />The live vegetative "first-hits" were used to calculate total vegetative cover for each transect <br />' according to Equation 1. <br />' / Percent Tota! Veg. Cover - No. hits on vegetation Q (1) <br />total number ojpoints <br />' The diversity of plan[ species in each area was evaluated using data acquired from the point- <br />intercept transects. Data from the transects was used to determine the relative cover of each <br />' - species detected (Equation 2). <br />' ~ % Cover of Species X <br />Relative Cover of Species X = (2) <br />Total Veg. Cover <br />Production was determined by hand clipping one square meter quadrants. A random number <br />between one and fifty was selected to determine where the sampling point would be placed along <br />the fifty meter transect. The vegetation was clipped by forb or grass species and separated by <br />' annual or perennial life form, with the corresponding field "wet" weight recorded. The clipped <br />vegetation was then oven dried and reweighed as a "dry" weight. The dry weights were converted <br />to pounds per acre for each respective sampled area. The Snedecor-Cochran sample adequacy <br />' formula (Equation 3) was utilized to determine the adequate number of quadrants to be sampled <br />within each area. <br />1 <br />' A-l <br />