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• <br />EXHIBIT E - Reclamation Plan (Cont) <br />Snow fence installation at regular intervals across the tailings slopes and <br />along top perimeters is effective for prevention of wind erosion. Additional pro- <br />tection of the seedbed is attained by lining the snow fence with heavy burlap. <br />Control of wind erosion is essential to insure seedbed stability and prevention of <br />wind burn on young seedlings. <br />The second step of the stabilization phase involves the application of a non- <br />toxic cementing agent (lignosite) on the loose tailings material. The 1'ignosulfonate <br />not only aids in the control of wind erosion, but yields other characteri~stice <br />beneficial to vegetation establishment. Two of these characteristics arEe: <br />1. Prevention of photosynthetic inhibition.- ~`-~^r - <br />2. Inhibition of evaporation. <br />Normally the light color of the tailings material reflects light ant! heat <br />~nergy, producing levels of each intolerable to vegetation. When lignosite is <br />applied, the surface color of the tailings is darkened, preventing this solariza- <br />tion. A second beneficial quality of the lignosite is prevention of rapid evapora- <br />tion. This allows surface moisture to be available to plant root systems .for a <br />longer period of time. Prevention of solarization and evaporation on tailings <br />spoil is essential for vegetative establishment in this climate. <br />The second phase of the reclamation plan is the establishment of pioneer com- <br />munities. The steps involved in this phase of the operation are: <br />1. Seedbed preparation. <br />• 2. Fertilization. <br />3. Seeding. <br />4. Irrigation. <br />Along with physical preparation of the seedbed (i.e., snow fence installation <br />and lignosite application), mechanical preparation is equally important for high <br />germination rates. Seedbed preparation on tailings pond and slope areas requires <br />a more extensive operation than other affected lands (e.g., borrow and construction <br />sites). Preparation for seed on tailings areas entails earthmoving and hand dug <br />furrows. <br />The earthmoving operation involves movement of topsoil to the revegetation <br />site. The topsoil being used is a peat which was dug and stockpiled during con- <br />struction of the starter dam and bed area of Tailings Pond No. 4. The peat was <br />-17- <br />.1 <br />.i <br />I <br />