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RECLAMATION PLAN <br />Topsoiling and Growth Media <br />Topsoiling will be done with the same soil that was originally on this site. Although the original <br />soil is thin and physically not very different from the overburden, it contains prodigious amounts of organic <br />matter and various kinds of seeds, roots, stems, rhizomes, etc. from the original vegetation. As this soil will <br />not be stored long and during the winter, a good deal of that material will provide a free source of <br />revegetation plant materials, including some woody species that are in the original vegetation. For this <br />reason no revegetation will be done on this area until it is determined what will arise from the replaced <br />topsoil. It is expected that the remaining propagation materials in the soil will more than adequately <br />revegetate the site. However, as noted later, if topsoiling does not occur until after early June, seeding will <br />be required because by then it is not likely that a great deal of growth will develop out of the replaced <br />topsoil. Still, the replaced topsail will provide a rich, highly organic soil to accelerate applied revegetation <br />if that needs to be done. <br />Furthermore, some very shallow, winding depressions will be established in the final surface. These <br />depressions will be no more than about six inches deep. This simulates features that are present in the pre- <br />mining surface and which help direct river overflows across the land Producing a smooth surface is not <br />desirable as it creates too much sheet flow. As a rule, river overflow azeas tend to have a slightly variable <br />topography with many small, linear depressions and it is therefore reasoned that these should be built into <br />the final surface of the backfilled area. <br />Revegetation <br />The revegetation of this site is a bidirectional plan. On the one hand, if the topsoil is replaced by <br />early June it is likely that nothing will need to be done other than weed control. The existing soil will <br />undoubtedly contain sufficient plant materials so that much of what was there will return. Unfortunately, if <br />topsoil is replaced after eazly June it is likely that some spot seeding will need to be done. Only the more <br />moist areas would recover from the soil naturally. Drier sites would probably produce little native <br />vegetation and probably a good deal of weed growth. <br />Riparian Forest.• Riparian Forest, if little growth returns from replaced topsoil, this will <br />be established by planting cottonwood seedlings at a rate of 200 to 250 bare root trees per acre. It is <br />expected that the mortality rate of seedlings will be at least 50% and that should establish a final forest <br />density of about 100 trees per acre. This density is on the high end for a mature cottonwood forest but this <br />approach emulates the natural process of stazting the cottonwood forest with a very high density and <br />allowing natural competition to do the thinning. No grass seeding will be done where the trees are planted <br />as that usually induces too much water corrq~etition and the trees are usually replaced by grasses. Invasion <br />Pueblo East Pit Amendment 2 (2004) Exhibit E Page 4 of 7 <br />