Laserfiche WebLink
Elk Mine <br />Shrub Skies Stems/Acre <br />Streambank Willow 250 <br />Narrowleaf Cottonwood 200 <br />River Birch 250 <br />Hawthorn 50 <br />Wood's Rose Z50 <br />1000 <br />Grass and forbs species will be hand broadcast at twice the above rate and shrubs and trees will be <br />hand planted from container or cutting stock. <br />Success of this riparian buffer zone revegetation effort will be measured against the Wildlife Shmb <br />Cluster success criteria noted in Table 41 using the same sampling methods noted. <br />Evaluation o(Reclamation Success <br />Reclaimed Area Reveeetation Success <br />During the initial permitting of the West Elk Mine in 1980 and 1981, revegetation success was <br />proposed to be based on two reference azeas established in Sylvester Gulch. Since two vegetation <br />communities were initially disturbed during the construction of surface facilities at the West Elk <br />Mine, a dry meadow reference azea and an oakbrush reference area were established. The reference <br />azeas were to be used for evaluation of total vegetation cover and herbaceous production during <br />revegetation evaluations for bond and liability release. Total vegetation cover and total herbaceous <br />production from the reference azeas were to be compared with like mean parameter values from the <br />reclaimed and revegetated azeas. <br />Subsequent to the initial permitting of the mine, evaluation of the reference azea concept occurred <br />in the regulatory, mining, and academic communities. Concerns azose with the long-term <br />management and maintenance of reference azeas, as well as their comparability to the expected (and <br />observed) post-mining vegetation communities. Several options for development of revegetation <br />success criteria existed in addition to reference azeas, but technical standazd and historic record <br />approaches had not been pursued by industry or regulatory authorities, and involved unspecified <br />commitments to data acquisition. <br />In 1995, the West Elk Mine began planning for expansion of the mine facilities, including a second <br />refuse pile and ventilation and coal storage facilities. As a result of these projects, additional <br />vegetation communities would be disturbed at the mine. Location, establishment, and maintenance <br />of reference azeas for each vegetation community disturbed or affected was no longer a viable <br />option for determining revegetation success criteria. An evaluation of technical standazd and <br />historic record approaches to establishing vegetation success criteria for total vegetation cover and <br />herbaceous production was undertaken. <br />• <br />2.05.65 Revised Nw. 7996 PR07;Rev. Apri! 1006 PRlO <br />