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success standanl set ti,rth in the C'D!~11i findings doenmem. ~~ °'r° test was used for the <br />suuistical comparison. 'this is consistent with the recvnuncndativns of the Division of <br />!~'tinerals and (ievlogy in their 198a Guidelines 1br C'umpliance with Iand Use and <br />4'e~tatiun Requirements of the Colorado ~lincd Land RedamaUon Board for Oval <br />h1ininQ. Analysis of quantitative rclativc cover data derived from quantitative total ctlver <br />IIl }l ~I'lllallUll prvvlcl.'d IhC h.ISI~ }l,r a~~l'~~n1CI11 Ot spcrC lCa iJ111pU5111 U11. <br />II1. Results and Discussion <br />Reclaimed :1rca I)cscription <br />fhr J.I-acrr prnnit area's ecgrt.uion innsists nlaml} I,f lhrcc type,: ~Axunain Shnlh. <br />lntrcxiuced I'asulre, and traces of Ihium-Juniper. 'these vcgecuiun types cxcur within the <br />mine urea al clccations rangine from 7,360 feet to 7,6tt0 feet. '111c Natural Resource <br />Conscnation Senice. in the Rl>lks Foothills rmge site description corresponding to the <br />!au Stony Loam complex indicates this silc has an optimum ground cover of 2S to 30 <br />percent. The average annual precipitation in this area is approximately 20 inches. <br />Flow•ever, during the 2001-2(x)2 ~nosving season there has been a statewide drought in <br />effect. This drastic reduction in precipitation hs>_ti limited the grvw'th potcnual of many <br />areas of the state, including the Bluc Flame h1inc Sitc. Thercti~re, declines in prexluctivn. <br />species drvasity, wooly plant stem density, and cvvcr arc to be expected. Additionally, <br />the type and amount of vegcwtion varies with differences in slope, exposure, and soil <br />depth. <br />Statistical ('omparison of Reclaimed and Reference Areas <br />- Ilctcr of vegetation cover allows <br />statistical evaluation for <br />,nnpliancc with the revcgcWtion <br />,access criteria of the nnning and <br />~~.lamation permit. "fhc <br />\ rcetation success critenon for <br />:~nrr w;ts established by C'DM(i <br />the permit approval findings <br />~Il+cumcnt. The cover standard is <br />;ll percent. The dcx;umcnt does <br />aot specify the components oi'thc <br /><~,ver standard, whether total <br />round cover or total vegetation <br />",vcr Is mtcnded as the standard. <br />Iluwcver, the coccr composition <br />::III ~: ~"~ !ILpli I',i` n~ IU.. .~,~'^ ,_. .`II ', I+~~~ ~~n!I SC'aSOn graSSfS. 1\VO fortis, and <br />l\C.I Sil rll i, s, \\;th nu ~Illt,~i ~p~i lC] rCpR'~Cllll'li t,\ nll~rC than 40 percent rclativc cvvcr or <br />less than three percent rclativc cover. <br />