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• B. AREA TO HE MINED <br />( B.1. Purpose of Sampling <br />The area to De mined moat be sampled to establish the comparability of <br />reference areas and to establish some of the success standards. Compara- <br />bility of reference areas x112 be considered in terms of the total cover, <br />productivity and botanical composition of perennial herbaceous species. <br />Sandsage density and species diversity are omitted from the comparability <br />tests because xe propose to establish success standards for those measures <br />directly from the area to be mined, <br />B.2. Time of Sampling <br />By the methods proposed, sandsage density and species diversity can be <br />sampled at any time that plants are groxing and can be identified. Cover. <br />pzductivity and botanical composition must be measured at or near peak <br />• standing crop, xhich may occur as early as late June or as late ea aid- <br />September, depending on the occurrence of summer shoxers. Because short <br />summer droughts generally do not promote rapid losses in herbaceous cover <br />and biomass by the perennials of the Deep Sand Range Site, we propose to <br />measure these attributes in August and~or early September. Comparative <br />data x111 be collected in a short time period of txo to three xeeks to <br />obtain unbiased comparisons. <br />1~. Stratification by Subsite <br />Mining rill be restricted to the Deep Sand Range Site, which xe have <br />described as the Sandsage'Prairie Sandreed Association, this association <br />occurs on two Soil Series (Valent Sand and Osgood Sand) in this area. <br />Consequently, we identify these txo Soil Series as txo subsites, xhich x111 <br />be reclaimed in about the same positions as before mining, and each of which <br />2 <br />