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Introduction OCT 2 5 2005 <br />At the request of Trapper Mining Inc. (Trapper), Phase III final bond release revegetation <br />sampling was conducted on three reclaimed blocks and one referenc@~'2fl"~'dt'TMine. <br />The three reclaimed blocks sampled included one Cropland Reclamation Block and two <br />Rangeland Reclamation Blocks. The Cropland Reference Area was also sampled. <br />The Cropland Reclamation Block CR - 93-94 Area ,reclaimed between 1993 and 1994 <br />containing 185.5 acres; and the Cropland Reference Area which is located outside of the mine <br />disturbance area and which contains 43.7 acres were sampled. The two Rangeland Reclamation <br />Blocks sampled included Reclamation Block AD8tH-AB, which was reclaimed between 1993 <br />and 1995, containing 478.9 acres; and Reclamation Block ACBcD-C, which was reclaimed <br />between 1987 and 1995, containing 98.4 acres. The Locations of theses specific reclamation <br />blocks are depicted on the enclosed maps. This revegetation monitoring effort was prepared with <br />the intention of satisfying the first year of the final two years of the Phase III monitoring <br />requirement of the Final Bond Release revegetation sampling requirements for Rangeland <br />Reclamation Blocks AD&H-AB; AC&DC; and Cropland Reclamation Block CR - 93-94 (Phase <br />~.. <br />Mr. Kent CroRs of Il~fE, who has conducted previous vegetation sampling efforts at the Trapper <br />Mine, adjacern Empire Energy Mine and numerous other sites in northwest Colorado in the past <br />28 years, directly supervised all field investigations. Assisting in this sampling effort was Mr. <br />Justin Crofts, who acted as the field party chief, and Mr. David Crofts who acted as field GPS <br />technician and was responsible for determining all of the ttansect locations using the Trimble <br />Model Pro XRS Global Positioning System All three individuals assisted with the field sampling <br />and data analysis. <br />Methods <br />Maps, in both electronic and bard paper format of the Cropland Reclamation Block, the Cropland <br />Reference Area and the two Rangeland blocks sampled in this revegetation monitoring effort <br />were supplied by Mr. Forrest Luke, Environmental Manager of Trapper Mining Inc., who <br />delineated to the field crews, the exact extent of the reclamation efforts at the Trapper Mine. The <br />specific sampling methodologies used in this evaluation are those found in the Division's <br />"Guidelixes with Land Use and Vegetation Requurnrentc of the Colorado Mined Land <br />Reclamation Board for Coa/ Mining" issued in June of 1988 and the "Guidelines Regardixg <br />Selected Con! Mine Bond Release Issues" issued April 18, 1995. In addition to these guidelines, <br />the new proposed regulation changes as found in the 14 March 2003 Colorado Division of <br />Minerals and Geology (DMG) "Revegetation, Land Use, Wildlife and Alluvial Valley Floors"- <br />Proposed Colorado Program Amexdments document was used with respect to sample adequacy <br />calculations and proposed statistical comparisons. <br />Prior to commencing the field sampling and during the preparation of this report, the Permit <br />monitoring requirements were examined and discussed with Mr. Luke regazding the proposed <br />sampling methods and data analysis methods to be used. Agreement on the sampling <br />methodology used in this evaluation as well as permission to use the proposed program <br />amendments was obtained by Trapper from the DMG prior to initiating field sampling and <br />approved by the Division for use at the Trapper Mine for this sampling effort. In this evaluation, <br />the vegetation sampling parameters of production, plant cover, species diversity and shrub density <br /> <br />