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West Elk Mine <br />2.04.10 Vegetation Information <br />Introduction <br />Baseline vegetation data for West Elk Mine were collected in three steps. First, vegetation in the <br />30,600-acre environmental study area (Map 3) was inventoried and mapped in 1975, 1976, 1993, <br />and 1994. Vegetative structure was also sampled and quantitatively analyzed during 1975 and <br />1976. Information acquired in this step provides an overall baseline description of vegetation at <br />West Elk Mine. <br />In the second step, vegetation in the area to be physically disturbed by the mine was mapped and <br />sampled. Cover and production were quantitatively sampled. Comparable reference areas were <br />also established and sampled. This work occurred in 1980. <br />In 1981, the CDMG asked MCC to enlarge and resample one of the reference azeas. This final <br />step was accomplished in 1982. The dry meadow reference azea was enlazged and resampled along <br />with the affected area dry meadow vegetation type. Data from the last two steps were used to <br />determine MCC's revegetation success criteria. <br />During the. Apache Rocks permit revision, (PR06) an evaluation of the vegetation baseline <br />description was undertaken. During this evaluation several changes to the text within this section <br />were undertaken, The substance of these changes is as follows: Two vegetation communities were <br />redesignated to better reflect their dominant plant component or generally accepted common name. <br />Wet mixed shrub was renamed oakbrush and dry mixed shrub was renamed xeric mountain shrub. <br />No plant communities were eliminated. The community designated Oak was combined with and <br />added to the description of the oakbrush community, as it represented no more than an ecotonal <br />variant of the oakbrush community. Community descriptions were reorganized in order of <br />predominance within the study azea. Descriptions for chained area, reservoir, residential, industrial, <br />and agricultural were eliminated from this section as they more accurately represent or describe land <br />uses, activities, man-made structures, or management practices and as such were inconsistent with <br />the regulatory requirements of Section 2.04.10. <br />As surface disturbance in Sylvester Gulch was not anticipated during the initial permitting of West <br />Elk Mine, a baseline vegetation investigation was conducted in July and August 1996 for the <br />Sylvester Gulch Facilities Area (PR07). The baseline vegetation investigation is provided in <br />Exhibit 32A. <br />A baseline vegetation study was conducted in September 1995 for the Refuse Pite Expansion <br />(RPE) area. Vegetation sampling was performed in accordance with Rules 2.04.10 and 4.15, and <br />current botanical and plant ecological methods. This report is included in Exhibit 70, Appendix <br />M. <br />Plant Community Distribution in the Environmental Study Area <br />Distribution of plant communities is dependent upon several physical and biologic factors. <br />Availability of water, nutrients, light, adequate rooting medium (soil) and temperatures amenable to <br />growth aze the physical factors affecting plant community and individual plant species distribution. <br />Biologic factors affecting plant distribution include reproductive propagule availability, competition <br />1.04-136 RevtredNovember2004 PRIG <br />