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1. Introduction <br />This report has been prepared in support of an application for release of liability <br />for the 35-acre mined area west of Rouse Road within the permit area of the New <br />Pryor Strip Mine (CDMG permit #C-1981-031) operated by American Fuels, Inc. <br />The New Pryor Strip Mine is located in Huerfano County, Colorado, <br />approximately ten miles southwest of Walsenburg, Colorado. <br />On February 26, 1986 the Mined Land Reclamation Board forfeited a $58,073.00 <br />reclamation bond. The Colorado Division of Minerals and Geology (Division) <br />hired a third party contractor to conduct reclamation at the site during 1991. <br />Reclamation was completed in 1992 on all areas, except for the sediment ponds. <br />This document presents data collected during the summer of 2003 by the <br />Division. The Division's Coal Program employees completed field sampling <br />during the week of July 29th. The sampling was performed in compliance with <br />Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Board Surface Coal Mining Rules 2.04.10 <br />and 4.15 and current botanical and plant ecological methods. The vegetation <br />data was collected to support a finding by the Division for release of jurisdiction <br />for the revoked permit #C-81-031. <br />II. Sampling Design <br />Timing <br />Field sampling was conducted on June 25, 2003. Vegetative data collected <br />included live vegetative cover, herbaceous production and woody stem density <br />data. Timing of the sampling was scheduled to coincide with active biomass <br />production and vegetation identification of both warm season and cool season <br />species. Limited domestic grazing had occurred on the reclaimed area during <br />the 2003 growing season prior to sampling. The Division does not have <br />communication with the landowner or lessees for control of grazing. The post- <br />mining land use is rangeland. <br />Methods <br />Before fieldwork commenced, the permit document, amendments to the permit, <br />baseline data, any prior sampling data and applicable maps were reviewed to <br />evaluate topography, reclamation timing, seed mixes, revegetation methods, and <br />applicable revegetation standards. <br />The permit stated that the Shannon-Weiner Index would be used to determine <br />species diversity standards. Throughout the years, the Division has found the <br />Shannon-Weiner Index cumbersome to apply to reclaimed communities. The <br />Division prefers to establish diversity standards based upon life-forms and <br />seasonality. Based upon the location of the mine-site and the post-mining land <br />use of rangeland, the Division has determined the diversity standard for the New <br />2 <br />