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Grazing Management _ • Postlaw (after May 3, 1978) reclaimed areas exhibiting excessive alfalfa densities have been identified. Particularly, portions of areas reclaimed in 1979, 1980 and, 1981 contain these high alfalfa densities. After evaluation of several management and control methods for treating these areas, grazing management was selected. Grazing management c.an ba an effective method of controlling and managing the z~lfalfa stands, while at the seine time provfding benefits to other stand components such as shrub density and species diversity. Grazing is also consistent with implementation of the postmining land use as detailed in earlier sections of lab 13. Crazing is usually thought of as harvesting forage by various classes of livestock to attain an end product, i.e. red meat production. However, it may also be used as a tool to manipulate and alter vegetative composition (Bell 1973, Stoddart et al. 1975, Valentine 1971, Young and Rennick 1983). Stoddart~ et al. (1975) lists four requirements that should be met to insure that the use of livestock will be effective in manipulating vegetation. They are: (1) adequate management and control over livestock, (2) the plants to be controlled should be acceptable forage to livestock, (3) there are forage species available in the stand to replace the controlled species or the site can be reseeded, and (4) the plants have different periods of susceptibility to grazing. The above requirements can be met at the Seneca Mine. A 303 acre pasture will be established in postlaw reclaimed areas as shown on Map 1 to Appendix 13-3 (attached). This pasture will include the majority of those sites identified with areas of high alfalfa densities. The pasture will be enclosed with a sheep tight 5-strand barbed wire fence. The top wire will be placed at least 13 inches above the next loner wire to reduce the potential for deer to become entangled. Large gates (approximately 20 feet wide) will be located at major big game migration routes on the west and east sides of the pasture. They will remain open during the winter season. Initial stocking rates for the 303 acre pasture have been estimated using production data from the 1985 Revegetation Monitoring Study conducted a~t the Seneca II Mine. A weighted production average was calculated based on the acreage contribution of each of the 1978-1982 reclamation blocks included in the pasture. The initial stocking rates for the pasture will be set at fairly high levels (75& utilization) to insure that desired impacts to the alfalfa component and the overall vegetative stand can begin to be realized. Crazing intensity in the pasture will be monitored and will be adjusted upward if grazing is too light or downward if the impact to the total plain= community is too severe. As the 13-4-2