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STATE OF COLORADO <br />DIVISION OF RECLAMATION, MINING AND SAFETY <br />Department of Natural Resources <br />1313 Sherman St., Room 215 <br />Denver, Colorado 60203 <br />Phone: (303) 8663567 <br />fAX: (303)832$106 <br />INTERNAL MEMORANDUM <br />DATE: October 8, 2007 <br />TO: Joe Dudash <br />FROM: Dan Mathews <br />RE: Bear #3 Vegetation Observations <br />File No. C-81-033 <br />COLORADO <br />DIVISION OF <br />RECLAMATION <br />MINING <br />- &- <br />SAFETY <br />Bill Ritter, jr. <br />Governor <br />Harris D. Sherman <br />Executive DirecYOr <br />Ronald W. Cattany <br />Division Director <br />Natural Resource Trustee <br />Joe, pursuant to your request in an email of 9/14/07, I stopped by the Beaz No. 3 site last <br />Thursday morning, to visually assess the status of revegetation at the site, including the extent of <br />infestation by cheatgrass and other noxious andfor undesirable vegetation. <br />I concur with your observation that the hillside reclaimed azeas appear to support a good stand <br />of desirable vegetation. From what I could tell (without extensive climbing), the steep north <br />facing slope areas that are not rock outcrop or slide scarps support an excellent perennial cover <br />dominated by smooth brome, with various wheatgrasses, some cicer milkvetch, aster, and other <br />perennial forbs, and various shrubs including rubber rabbitbrush, Woods rose, and snowberry. <br />suspect the revegetated slope areas would easily meet the 40% cover standazd, based solely on <br />perennial vegetation. cheatgrass did not appear to be a problem on the reclaimed slopes, nor <br />did there appear to be a problem with noxious weeds or other undesirable species on the slopes. <br />The "flats" on either side of the old office building, in contrast, do exhibit significant weed <br />problems, and revegetation appears to have been less successful than on the steep slope areas. <br />Problems aze generally restricted to the relatively open azeas to the west and east of the office; <br />perimeter areas further north are becoming overgrown with rabbitbrush and woody riparian <br />species. <br />"West Flats" <br />Approximately 80% of the non-brushy flat azea west of the office is dominated by cheatgrass <br />and weedy forbs including annual Kochia, bindweed, and the noxious weed whitetop. There is <br />a small grassy patch just inside the gate on the north side of the road that is dominated by <br />Office of Office of <br />Mined Land Reclamation Denver Grand Junction Durango Active and Inactive Mines <br />