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and 47.32 percent relative cover. Five additional species contributed significant • additional cover. They were; Boute/oua gracilis at 8.67 percent mean cover (18.97% relative cover), Andropogon hallii with 5.87 percent mean cover (12.95% relative cover), Stipa viridula (green needlegrass) at 4.40 percent mean cover (8.71 % relative cover), Calamovilfa longi£olia (prairie sandreed) with 2.27 percent mean cover and 4.46 percent relative cover, and Helianthus annuus (sunflower) at 2.00 percent mean cover (4.02% relative cover). Vegetative litter (prior yeazs growth, dead wood, and other biologic organic material) comprised an average 39.20 percent ground cover within the reference area. Bare soil comprised 17.60 percent of the ground cover encountered in the reference area. No rock was encountered during this year's cover sampling. Species Diversity Within the reference area four lifeforms were represented; grasses, forbs, succulents and woody shrubs. The total number of species encountered during cover sampling within the reference azea was eleven. Graminoids accounted for five species, forbs four species, succulents one species, and shrubs one species. Of the species encountered in the reference area, all 11 were native. Perennial species outnumbered annual species by eight to three. Of the species encountered, six represented greater than three percent relative cover; Artemesia 6lifolia (47.32%), Boute/oua gracilis • (18.97%), Andropogon hallii (12.95%), Stipa vvidula (8.71 %), Calamovil6 longifolia (4.46%), and He/ianthus annuus (4.02%). Seasonality of the reference area was dominated by cool season species (five) and warm season species (four), but also included deciduous and evergreen species. Graminoids were nearly evenly split between cool season (two) and warm season (three) species. Cool season forb species outnumbered warm season forb species by three to one. The shrub species was deciduous, and the succulent was evergreen. 1985 RECLAMATION AREA The 1985 Reclamation Area encompasses approximately 23 acres of reclaimed pit in the north central area of the Keenesburg Mine permit area. The 1985 Reclamation Area is composed of two parcels (west and east) separated by the north-south haul road corridor. This area is neazly flat with a gentle slope (< 1 °) to the north and east. Reclamation and coincident revegetation within this area took place in 1985. Replaced soils were sandy in texture. The revegetation seed mix differed slightly in composition and representation of cool season grasses from the seed mix applied to the 1986 and 1987 reclaimed areas, yielding a slightly different species composition. Specific sampling information for the 1985 Reclamation Area is contained in Table 3. C~ _(}