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RECLAMATION PLAN <br />Other Considerations <br />Weed Control: Noxious and other competitive weeds will be controlled on a site by site basis. <br />Inspection by persons familiar with the various weed species will be done at least once a yeaz. Annual <br />weeds will primarily be controlled by mowing. Noxious perennial weeds will be controlled by methods <br />appropriate for those species, generally by chemical spraying. Chemical spraying, however, will need to be <br />done with considerable care so the desirable woody vegetation (cottonwood and willow) are not affected. <br />Examination of the site prior to mining revealed an extremely high abundance of weeds in adjacent <br />lands, particularly armua] weeds such as Kochia and Satsola. Noxious weeds, although present in the <br />amendment area, seem to have a very limited and sparse population, but could expand after disturbance. <br />Without any doubt, the seed bank in the soil contains a good deal of weed seed. When the soil is <br />redistributed it is expected that annual weeds could be a severe problem Control of DENSE growths of <br />these weeds is absolutely essential to the success of the revegetation. Low to moderate densities are not of <br />such great concern but should be monitored closely to insure they do not become dense growths. <br />With annual weeds two procedures are often effective in reducing the adverse effects from this <br />growth. First, high nitrogen fertilizer should not be applied at the time of planting the seed mixture as a <br />high fertility soil often enhances the weed problem In fact, no nitrogen should be added and if anything is <br />added it should be a high carbon material like wood chips. Second, keeping the weeds mowed to a height of <br />not more than about six inches and, in particular, mowing just as the weeds are beginning to flower, <br />prevents the weeds from producing large amounts of seed that can perpetuate the population. Fertilizing in <br />the fall of the year helps the desired vegetation while reducing the boost to the weeds. Continued and <br />frequent mowing of weed infested areas until the desired vegetation has become established, combined with <br />nutrient management, is often all that is needed to virtually eliminate annual weeds. <br />Unfortunately, perennial weeds, such as the noxious species, cannot be controlled effectively using <br />these methods and require more drastic action, usually in the form of herbicides. Herbicide usage should be <br />kept to a minimum on this site due to the proximity of the site to the groundwater and sensitive woody <br />species. General treatment over wide areas of weed growth with herbicides will be avoided as much as <br />possible to prevent water contamination and drifting of the chemicals on to desirable vegetation. <br />Irrigation: Irrigation during the first year maybe used in the Riparian Forest and Shrub/Scrub <br />tevegetation areas. This irrigation will be by means of flooding. Because the land in this area will slope <br />downward from west to east, applying the water on the west end and allowing it to flow eastward will <br />efficiently and economically irrigate the entire area. Irrigation of this land will only be done if needed. <br />Pueblo East Pit Amendment 2 (2004) Exhibit E Page 6 of 7 <br />