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VIII. Revegetation Information on baseline vegetation for the Seneca II-W Mine permit area can be found in Tab 10 of Volume 6. Information on the revegetation plan and revegetation success criteria for the permit area can be found in Tab 22 of Volume 13 of the permit application. During the course of the original permit review, a number of concerns arose regarding the control of reference areas and reference area comparability. The applicant proposed, in meetings with the Division, an extended reference area concept, which was subsequently approved. As approved, the applicant will utilize all undisturbed vegetation communities (representing those to be disturbed by mining) within the permit area as components of "extended reference areas". The components of the extended reference areas will be represented by a minimum of 100 acres of undisturbed aspen community, 300 acres of big sagebrush/grassland community, 450 acres of mixed brush community, and 150 acres of western wheatgrass/alkali sagebrush community. With regard to the reclamation plan, certain seed mix concerns identified previously by the Division had resulted in the imposition of stipulation 8a and 8b which restricted use of pubescent wheatgrass and alfalfa, and required Seneca to obtain approval for any supplemental seedmix components. Based on information presented in Item 38 of Seneca's April 26, 1991 adequacy response letter, Stipulations 8a and 8b were resolved by PR#1. With respect to Stipulation 8a, both pubescent and intermediate wheatgrass were removed from the permanent seedmixes. The various permanent seedmixes currently proposed are composed predominantly of native species, and the few introduced species included are desirable and necessary to achieve the approved postmining land use, and are not poisonous or noxious. Two years of monitoring data for various reclaimed areas at the Seneca II mine which were seeded with the proposed alfalfa variety (Medicaeo falcata), at the proposed rate (.25 lbs/acre) indicate that falcata alfalfa does not compete excessively with other seeded species. Given its value as a nitrogen fixer and as wildlife forage, inclusion of the species in the seedmix is warranted and Stipulation 8a is considered to be satisfied. PR #1 resulted in significant modification to the seedmixes, and as a result Seneca no longer anticipates extensive use of supplemental species on an annual basis. Stipulation 8b, which addressed supplemental seed mix components is no longer necessary. If and when species substitutions are made in the future, they will be handled as minor revisions, with the complete seedmix used in each reclaimed area to be listed in the Annual Reclamation Report. One issue of concern identified during the August, 1995 Permit Renewal 02 review pertained to the use of the short lived sterile hybrid "regreen" as a cover crop. The 1994 annual reclamation report noted that it was seeded with the 35