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INTRODUCTION <br />This annual reclamation monitoring report has been prepared by Energy Fuels <br />Coal, Inc. (EFCI) Southfield Mine in accordance with their approved Mining and <br />Reclamation plan which requires on page 2.05.4-26R that all permanently reclaimed areas <br />be sampled during years 3, 7, 9 and 10 of the bond liability period and that the results of <br />these monitoring efforts be submitted to the Colorado Division of Minerals and Geology <br />(CDMG) in connection with their Annual Reclamation Report. Due to concerns raised by <br />the Division in connection with their review of the 1996 Annual Reclamation Report as <br />outlined in their letter dated 19 August 1998, this report is being submitted to address the <br />specific concerns raised in that letter. <br />This report contains the results of field data collected on in the time period between <br />30 October 1997 and 2 November, 1997 for the five reseeded areas and Grassland <br />Reference area associated with the Southfield Mine Refuse Pile. These individual <br />reclamation seedings correspond to the 1983, 1987, January 1992, November 1992 and <br />1995 Refuse Pile Reclamation seedings. All of these data were collected and analyzed <br />by Kent Crofts and Micah Hailing of IME, an environmental consulting firm located in <br />Yampa, Colorado. The 1997 reclamation monitoring program employed sampling <br />methodologies which are described in more detail and which have been previously <br />approved in connection with the Southfield Mine Permit and in previous reclamation <br />monitoring efforts at this location. <br />It must be pointed out that reclamation monitoring has been conducted on <br />reclaimed areas at the Southfield Mine since 1987. To the degree that space allows, the <br />results obtained from this present evaluation have been compared to the data obtained <br />from these previous monitoring efforts. However, space will not allow for a complete <br />analysis of these data over time. In order to more fully understand the revegetation trends <br />at the Southfield Mine, the reviewer is requested to consult the 1987, 1989 and 1991 <br />Southfield Mine Annual Reclamation Monitoring Reports to more fully understand the <br />revegetation trends present on these reclaimed areas. <br />METHODOLOGIES <br />All of the data collected during the 1997 monitoring effort were obtained using <br />identical sampling methodologies, equipment and methods of data analysis as utilized in <br />all prior reclamation monitoring efforts pertormed at this site. The vegetative parameters <br />sampled in 1997 included; total plant cover, production, and species diversity. Since the <br />object of this sampling effort was to document current revegetation trends and not final <br />bond release, not all reclaimed areas were sampled to the intensity found in the <br />Division's Vegetation Guidelines. Sample adequacy was not obtained on all areas nor <br />was the minimum number of samples collected. However, in nearly all instances a <br />sufficient number of samples were taken to quantify the plant cover and production to the <br />required level. <br />1 <br />