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noxious weed control as needed. This will be especially true when chemicals such as Tordon are used which require that a certified applicator do the spraying. The third approach is to use the services administered by the County Extension Service and available from the designated weed sprayer for the area. There are some restric- tions on the weeds that can be controlled and the amount of involvement that the county weed spraying program can provide, so that this latter approach may not always be the best alternative. The County Extension Service will be contacted for assistance and recommendations regarding noxious weed problems once they are identified. It should be pointed out to the regulatory authority that many of the noxious weed problems in the county (Canada thistle being a good example), are compounded by farming. Mr. Weaver should also be aware of this, even though he tended to point to sources other than farming as part of this problem. The Reclamation planner for Peabody Coal Company who is responsible for reclamation planning and mitigation, has four and one-half years of field experience with the Soil Conservation Service and a degree in Range Science with heavy concentrations in soils and agronomy. This is only mentioned to assure the regulatory authority that the one responsible for reclamation planning is not unfamilair with these and many other problems, espe- cially when involving cropland. Tillage is obviously necessary for farming, however, it also provides one of the best avenues for spreading noxious weeds. One tillage operation can effectively spread a Canada thistle problem throughout a wheat field. On the other hand, a good peren- nial cover of desirable plants can effectively control this plant over time. This is true for many of the other weedy species since they are invaders or pioneer plants. Those that are persistent then should be controlled through spraying. Our reclamation plan for the Mesa Gravel Pit is thus designed to achieve two ends. First, the perennial seed mix when established will become an integral part of the weed control plan by providing affective competition for weedy species. Also, the lack of tillage and continued disturbance will greatly aid in this as well. Secondly, the problem of soil erosion and deterioration of the soil resource by continued crop- ping (i.e., loss of fertility, organic matter, and structure) is painfully obvious in many parts of the county. It was with this thought in mind that Peabody Coal Company realized the potential for improving the soil resource during reclamation. -3-