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XI. Revegetation <br />The entire 19-acre area at the Bear No. 1 and 2 site has been reclaimed as undeveloped <br />land, partially for wildlife habitat. Reclamation activities have included the removal of <br />all facilities, backfilling of the portals, reclamation of all roads, diversions and culverts <br />and reseeding the entire disturbed area. The area occupied by the Bear No. 1 and 2 tipple <br />and loadout, and designated as "highway right-of-way and highway relocation" has been <br />reseeded by the Highway Department. The steep slope 5.13 acre area of the Bear No. 1 <br />and 2 portals was broadcast seeded. The remainder of the disturbed area was drill seeded. <br />The following three Factors reduced the extent of the disturbed area associated with the <br />mines: <br />1. New State Highway 133 was constructed through the loadout area, so this area <br />became the responsibility of the State Highway Department. <br />2. The North Fork of the Gunnison River was relocated to the south, which <br />encroached upon the permit area. <br />3. In 1984 Mountain Coal Company increased the size of its mine permit boundary <br />onto what was formerly the Bear No. 1 Mine facilities area. <br />The above three items reduced the size of the disturbed area associated with the Bear <br />No. 1 and No. 2 Mines from 19.3 to 4.5 acres. <br />The Bear No. 1 and No. 2 Mines were reclaimed during 1982. The seed mixture <br />included five native cool season grasses, three adapted fortis, including two legumes, <br />and three shrubs, in the broadcast mixture only. (Table 10, Seed Mixture [Bear No. <br />1 and No. 2]). <br />Revegetation activities at the Bear No. 3 Mine will include topsoil replacement, <br />seedbed preparation, seeding, and mulching. Topsoil at the Bear No. 3 Mine will <br />be replaced along the contour. The seedbed on steep slopes will be roughened by <br />"cat tracking" the area with a small bulldozer or by dragging a chain over the area. <br />If the area is too steep for equipment operation, the seedbed will be roughened by <br />hand. Two tons per acre of straw mulch will be blown onto steep slopes while one <br />ton per acre of mulch will be blown on to flat areas. The steep slope areas will be <br />broadcast seeded while flatter areas will be drill seeded. Jute netting will be used to <br />hold mulch in place on the steep slopes. <br />Cover measurements on the reclaimed area will be taken along randomly located <br />transects. A point frame will be used to record 50 equally spaced measurements per <br />transect. A minimum of ten transects will be required. Vegetation cover will be <br />recorded by species. First and second hits on vegetation will be used in the <br />calculation of percent cover. Each separate transect would be one sample, with the <br />percent cover value for each sample determined by totaling the first hits on <br />26 <br />