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Aside from the PIS rate the Division's only concerns with this diverse seedmix was the weighting of 99% of the "lbs./acre PLS" to grass species, and the inadvertent elimination of the legume component in the overall mix. The Division chooses not to approve the October 2, 1996 proposed seedmix which would change the seedmix makeup to: seven (7) cool season perennial grasses (70%) one (1) perennial forb (11%) two (2) perennial legumes (19%) eliminate the strip seeded shrub component Although the proposed seed mix reduces the overall component of the grass species, it also eliminates other components of the mix, 2 perennial forbs, 3 perennial warm season grasses and all shrub seed, that are desirable and necessary to achieve the annro~ed post-mining reclamation standards. The Division considers that the seed mix components were already agreed upon during the original permitting process and sees no reason to change them. The post-mining land-use has not changed over the majority of the permit area. The Division is in agreement with the relative seeding rate proposed in Table 5-6. The proposed seeding rate reflects 37 PLS/sq.ft. as opposed to 350 pls/sq.ft. in the r v seed mix. The proposed lifeform composition of Table 5-6 reclamation seedmix is unacceptable to the Division. 11.6) In OEI's letter to DMG, dated June 18, 1996, OEI contends that "the species composition standard set for the mine is inappropriate:' OE[ bases this statement on comparison of the baseline communities. OEI alleges that, [no warm season grasses] "were present in any of the pre-mining vegetation communities." Review of Permit Appendix 4-6 "Baseline Vegetation Inventory" prepazed by Western Resources Development Corporation, disputes this statement. Warm season perennial grass species were indeed present in the Pinyon/Juniper Reference area as represented by Bouteloua gracilis, Aristida longiseta, Nilaria jamesii, and Bouteloua curtipendula. The Mountain Shrub reference azea had warm season graminoid components of Aristides longiseta, Bouteloua cunipendula, and Bouteloua gracilis. Affected azea Pinyon/Juniper Woodland also had a component of warm season grasses represented by Bouteloua gracilis, Hilaria jamesii, and Bouteloua curtipendula. The Division acknowledges that no one warm season graminoid species comprised >3% of the relative vegetative cover. However, both the ecological consultant preparing the report and the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (formerly SCS) recognize warm season graminoids as an important component of the Mountain shrub and Pinyon/Juniper Woodland communities in Southwest Colorado. Western Resource Development Corporation recommended a warm season graminoid component for the measure of reclamation success in two of the three community types, permit appendix 4-6. USDA/SCS Technical Guide 342, Critical Area Planting, recommends planting Hillaria jamesii, Allwlai sacaton, and Sporabolus cyptand-us, on critical areas in this particular Land