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I. INTRODUCTION <br />L~ <br />This report presents the results of vegetation cover sampling at three azeas within the <br />Lone Pine Gulch Surface Facilities Area and the Water Tank Site at the West Elk Mine <br />(Colorado Division of Minerals and Geology permit C-80.007) owned and operated by <br />Mountain Coal Company. Information in this report addresses the vegetative and <br />ground cover condition of the Underground Development Waste Pile, Topsoil Pile, and <br />Staging Area, all within the Lone Pine Gulch Surface Facilities Area; and the Water <br />Tank Site above the main West Elk Mine site. Vegetation sampling was undertaken in <br />order to provide quantitative site specific ground cover information in support of soil <br />loss analysis for each of the areas sampled. Sampling methods used were those <br />previously accepted by the Colorado Division of Minerals and Geology, and aze <br />consistent with current botanical and plant ecological methods. Field sampling was <br />conducted July 29, 1997 and August 8, 1997 by Savage and Savage, Inc. staff. <br />The Lone Pine Gulch Surface Facilities of the West Elk Mine are located in Gunnison <br />County, Colorado, approximately three miles west-southwest of the mine entrance and <br />one mile southwest of Somerset, Colorado. The facilities are accessed by a private <br />road intersecting Colorado Highway 133. The Water Tank Site is located <br />approximately one half mile south of the main surface facilities and is accessed via a <br />• four-wheel drive road. Reclaimed and revegetated areas sampled in 1997 were <br />reclaimed and/or revegetated in 1995 in accordance with the approved mining and <br />reclamation plan. <br />II. METHODS <br />Timing <br />Field investigation was undertaken on July 29, 1997 for the Lone Pine Gulch Surface <br />Facilities Area and on August 8, 1997 for the Water Tank Site. This time period <br />coincided with anthesis and maximum development of the majority of plant species <br />found in both areas at the mine site. <br />Sampling Design <br />The purpose o€ sampling vegetation at the Lone Pine Gulch Surface Facilities Area and <br />the Water Tank Site was to provide quantitative information on the ground cover of <br />specific reclaimed or revegetated areas. This quantitative information was used in <br />• assessing potential soil loss at each of the discrete areas. <br />-1- <br />