Laserfiche WebLink
• Phase II & III Bond Release Evaluation ----- Year 1 of 2 <br />North Thompson Creek Mines <br />2000 Revegetation Success Evaluation <br />1.0 INTRODUCTION <br />1.1 General <br />Cedar Creek Associates, Inc. (Cedar Creek) was contracted in 2000 to implement Phase II & Phase <br />III vegetation evaluations within the revegetated portions of the North Thompson Creek Mine, and <br />extended reference area, in the interest of ascertaining revegetation success in general accordance with <br />Rule 3.03, Release of Pertornance Bonds and Rule 4.15.7, 8, ~ 9, Determining Revegetation Success. <br />Evaluations that occurred generally followed procedures indicated within approved permitting documents <br />with certain modifications in compliance with recent Colorado Division of Minerals and Geology (DMG) <br />• bond release guidelines (Guideline Regazding Selected Coal Mine Bond Release Issues, April 18, 1995). <br />Modifications primarily involved the use of the "reverse null hypothesis" testing procedure for reference <br />azea comparisons even though this procedure presents a more rigorous benchmark for suxess. <br />Pursuant to agreements reached wKh DMG prior to or during a meeting on June 16, 2000, both the <br />revegetated area and extended reference area were each sampled as a single unit despite physical <br />separation of revegetated area components. These components included the 44.1 acre main mine <br />facilities area (including remote fan sites) as well as the approximate 1.5 acre loadout corridor <br />immediately west of the Crystal River. Per agreement with DMG, the portion of the extended reference <br />area subject to sampling included only those areas of Mountain Shrubland -Dry Phase that were not <br />largely barren or generally steep and inaccessible. All areas subject to sampling are exhibited on Map 1. <br />Feld sampling for the directly measurable variables of ground cover and wrrent annual production, <br />as well as the indirect determination of species diversity (composition) was systematically conducted on <br />July 18 and 19, 2000. In addition, current conditions notable at the time of sampling were documented <br />through qualitative observations, and by several photos providing a visual demonstration of site-speafic <br />- conditions. Sampling was conducted by Cedar Creek's senior Range Ecologist, Mr. Steven R. Viert, with <br />assistance from Mr. Erik M. Mohr (Cedar Creek Plant Ecologist), and Mr. Rick Klein. <br />6dLQD~ fax;Prncumrur~, inc. Page 1 North Thompson Creek Mines Phase II 14 III Bond Release Evaluation <br />