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PROPOSED DECISION - Canadian Strip/Phase II Bond Release August 1, 1991 Page 5 Sampling was performed by both the Division and Wyoming Fuel in 1989 and 1990. The Division did not sample the reference area in 1989 and was unable to verify the results submitted by the operator as part of the Bond Release request on March 1, 1990. The Division's 1990 evaluation confirmed the Wyoming Fuel Company's original data from 1989 as shown by the information found in Table 3. The areas reclaimed between 1979 and 1981 do meet the vegetative cover standard, while the area reclaimed in 1987 does not. Thus, the Division finds the 1979-1981 reclaim eligible for Phase II Bond Release. TABLE 3: Comparison of Cover Sampling Data CMLRD WYOMING FUEL Date of Percent Date of Percent Sampling Cover Sampling Cover 1989 '79-'81 8/21/89 27.3X 9/22/89 68.47. '87 8/21/89 32X 9/22/89 60X Reference ND ND 9/22189 69.8X 1990 '79-'81 8/7-8/40 48/X 8/6-8190 44X '87 8/7-8/90 40X 8/6-8/90 44X Reference 8/7-8/90 50.2X ~, ~ 8/6-7/90 57X Species diversity evaluations were derived from the data recorded as part of the cover analysis. The species diversity standard found in the permit application states that the standard would be met when there are six principal species of which three will be cool season grasses, two will be shrubs and one will be a forb. Cool season grasses will contribute 7X to 35X of the total diversity and fortis will comprise 1X to 5X of the total diversity. Of the three principal cool season grasses, no species will comprise greater than 40X in relative importance. Cool season grasses are the predominant species at the site. Fortis do contribute between 1X and 5X of the total diversity, but none is considered a principal species. One shrub, Artemesia tridentate, is found on the 1979-1981 reclaim as 1.3X relative cover. There were no shrubs found by Greystone during 1990 sampling conducted in the 1987 reclaim. Canadian Strip has some distance to go in achieving their species diversity standard. Woody plant interseeding during the spring of 1991 may promote establishment of a community which could meet-the species diversity standard.