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site. <br />The average total plant cover of this site was determined to be 40.0 percent (Table 7, <br />Grassland Reference Area Percent Plant Cover, Species Composition and Frequency). <br />The dominate species on this site was found to be the native warm season grass, Blue <br />Grama, which was found to contribute 41.0 percent of the total cover on this site. When <br />this site was last sampled in 1987, total plant cover was determined to be identical to the <br />41.0 percent figure and Blue Grama was the dominate plant, accounting for 41.46 percent <br />of the plant cover. <br />Production. The average forage production from the 1997 sampling of this site was <br />calculated to be 32.55 grams per quarter square meter or 1,160 pounds of air dry forage <br />per acre. The production sampling of this site in 1987 resulted in a forage production <br />equivalent to 18.52 grams per quarter square meter or 660 pounds of air dry forage per <br />acre. <br />DISCUSSION <br />Successfulness of Reveyetation. If the data obtained from the 1997 vegetation monitoring <br />were to be used for the purposes of final bond release, then a comparison similar to that <br />found in Table 9, Summary of Revegetation Success, would be conducted. <br />Total plant cover for the 1983, 1987, January 1992, November 1992 and 1995 reclaimed <br />sites was not found to be different from the Grassland Reference Area plant cover values <br />obtained in 1997. This comparison suggests that for the 1983 and 1987 reclaimed sites <br />which are ten years old, and if final bond release were sought, these two sites would <br />appear to satisfy the revegetation success criteria with respect to total plant cover. <br />Total plant production for all of the reclaimed sites sampled was not found to be different <br />from the Grassland Reference Area plant production values obtained in 1997. This <br />comparison suggests that if these reclaimed sites were at least ten years old and final <br />bond release were sought, these two sites would satisfy the revegetation success criteria <br />with respect to plant production. <br />The species diversity standard for the four dominate plant species which is that these <br />species cannot contribute more than 80 percent of the total cover. All of the reclaimed <br />sites satisfy this standard. However, none of the reclaimed sites would appear to satisfy <br />the warm season grass standard. As a matter of fact, it would appear that even the <br />undisturbed Grassland Reference Area would fail to satisfy this standard since in 1987 the <br />two dominate warm season grasses accounted for only 47.8 percent of the total plant <br />cover. This comparison suggests that the warm species diversity standard needs to be <br />reevaluated in light of the baseline conditions found at this location. This warm species <br />diversity standard appears to be more consistent with a "restoration" concept which <br />requires that the reclaimed plant community must be replaced identical to that which <br />existed prior to disturbance, rather than the "reclamation" concept which is the basis of <br />7 <br />