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Introduction <br />This report presents the results of species diversity data for three <br />reference areas located at Colorado Westmoreland, Inc.'s (CWI) Orchard <br />Valley Mine. This information was compiled in accordance with current <br />Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Board (MLRB) requirements to be included in <br />CWI's permit application. These data were obtained to assist in preparing <br />CWI's seeding reclamation mixture and to form the basis of reclamation <br />success determination regarding species diversity. <br />Methods <br />Species diversity was derived utilizing a species composition approach <br />devised by MLRB. This approach is based on the relative cover of the <br />dominant plant species in each plant community reference area. Plant <br />species were considered dominant if they possessed three percent or greater <br />relative cover. It should be noted, however, that for one reference area <br />(mixed-shrub) this criteria was modified somewhat to include some species <br />which possessed relative cover values less than three percent. <br />Once the dominant plant species for each reference area were determined <br />they were presented in tabular form in order of dominance. Each species <br />was further categorized as to its vegetative class, longevity, seasonality <br />and origin. This information provides the basis of species diversity for <br />each reference area and was compared to CWI's seeding reclamation mixture <br />concomitant with the proposed post-mine land use goals. <br />Results and Discussion <br />Two reference areas were establised at CWI's Orchard Valley Mine <br />representing plant communities which were affected during mining <br />activities. These include the pinyon-juniper and mixed-shrub plant <br />communities. Since one of the proposed post-mine land use goals is <br />rangeland for livestock, a third reference area was chosen which would best <br />represent a natural rangeland situation. This plant community was <br />