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material (identified to genus and species), litter, rock, or bare ground. Shrubs, if encountered, <br />were not counted as a component of the herbaceous cover data. <br />A 1:1200 scale (1 inch=100 ft.) map of the permit area (permit map "Exhibit KK-1") was used to <br />delineate the sampling area consisting of all reclaimed areas within the permit area. A <br />Cartesian grid was overlaid upon the reclaimed areas and sample sites were established using <br />a randomization computer program. Computer-generated random numbers were used to <br />establish a pool of (x,y) coordinates. Twenty-two random locations for transect starting points <br />were initially plotted on the map within the reclaimed area. Permit map "Exhibit KK-1" <br />illustrates the location of the transect sample start points. Sample locations were evaluated to <br />ensure representative sampling over the entire reclaimed area. Sample sites were located in <br />the field by pacing from known landmarks. Transect orientation was determined from <br />randomly generated numbers between 1 and 360 degrees and transects were not permitted to <br />overlap or extend within 10 feet of revegetated area boundaries, to minimize impacts from <br />"edge effect". Transect length was 50 feet. At 10 foot intervals along the transect, 10 point- <br />intercept observations using the laser point frame were measured, resulting in 50 recorded hits <br />per transect (10 observations X 5 locations). <br />For statistical purposes, each cover transect served as a sample unit. These data were <br />recorded and summarized by computing mean cover, relative cover (percent of total vegetation <br />cover attributed to each species), and species composition. Species composition information <br />was computed from vegetation cover data using a ratio of individual species cover to total live <br />vegetation. (see Table 2) Transect 8 was eliminated due to a large portion of the transect <br />falling within ten feet of the reclaimed area boundary. <br />Production <br />Live herbaceous production was collected using a harvest method. All of the current year's <br />growth included within a 50 centimeter by 50 centimeter quadrat (quadrat area equal to one- <br />quarter of a square meter) was clipped at both ends of the cover transect. Full shrubs, <br />succulents, noxious weeds, and cushion plants were not clipped. Production clippings were <br />separated by life form and placed in paper bags, then weighed wet (fresh) in the field to assure <br />sample adequacy (minus bag weight). Life form categories included perennial grasses, <br />perennial (orbs, annual and biennial species. Field biomass adequacy calculations determined <br />that a minimum of 60 samples was needed to achieve adequacy. A sample size of 30 was <br />obtained for production, which allowed for a statistically valid demonstration that reclaimed <br />area production exceeded 90% of the standard, at the 90% level of statistical confidence. <br />Success was demonstrated by use of the "reverse null" one-sample t-test. <br />Production standards are based on air-dry weight. Subsequent to the field data collection, <br />samples were oven dried at 110°F for a minimum of 72 hours to a constant weight, and then <br />re-weighed to determine dry biomass for each bag. Paper bag weight was subtracted from dry <br />biomass calculations (see Table 3). <br />Shrub Densit <br />There is no reclamation success standard for shrub density at this site Shrub density data was <br />not collected. Shrub data was collected in 2002 and 2003 sampling efforts. <br />