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Vegetative litter (prior years growth, dead wood, and other biologic organic material) <br />comprised 36.00 percent ground cover overall within the 1497 reclamation azeas. Baze <br />• soil comprised 40.80 percent of the ground cover. No rock or cryptogams were <br />encountered during the cover sampling in the 1997 reclamation azeas. <br />Herbaceous Production <br />Total herbaceous production this year in the 1997 reclamation azeas was 61.15 g/mz <br />(545 lb/ac). Perennial grasses contributed significantly to herbaceous production, with <br />33.15 g/m2 (295 lb/ac) or 54 percent of total herbaceous production. Annual grasses <br />contributed little to herbaceous production in this azea (0.41 g/rr>2 (41b/ac)). Annual forbs <br />accounted for the second highest contribution with 19.53 g/mz (174 Ib/ac), 32 percent of <br />the total mean herbaceous production. Biennial forbs contributed 3.29 g/mz (29 lblac) or <br />five percent of total herbaceous production. Perennial forbs provided 4.76 g/rr12 (421b/ac) <br />or eight percent of total herbaceous production. <br />Species Composition <br />Cover sampling encountered two lifefonns and nineteen species within the 1997 <br />reclamation areas. The lifeforms included nine species of perennial grass, one annual <br />grass, two perennial, two biennial, and five annual forbs. Of the species encountered on <br />the 1997 reclamation azeas, eleven were native and eight were introduced. Perennial and <br />biennial species outnumbered annual species by thirteen to six. Both warm and cool <br />season species contributed to the seasonality of the 1997 rec]amation azeas. Cool season <br />• and warm season graminoids were equally represented with five species each. Seven forb <br />species were identified as cool season and two were warm season. <br />The 1997 reclamation azeas had eight species contributing greater than three percent <br />relative cover including four perennial grasses, one perennial forb, two biennial forbs, and <br />one annual forb. These species included Sporobolus cryptandrus (17.33%), Kochia <br />scoparia (15.33%), Melilotus alba (14.67%), Oryzopsis hymenoides (11.33%), <br />Calamovilfa longifolia (8.00%), Agropyron smithii (6.00%), Aster fendderi (5.33°!0}, and <br />Amaranthus retroflexus (4.00%). <br />1998 RESEEDED OR INTERSEEDED AREAS <br /> <br />The 1998 reseeded or interseeded azeas sampled this yeaz encompass 34 acres of <br />reclamation in five distinct areas within the Keenesburg Mine permit area. The azeas <br />include an azea immediately west of the dugout (Area 2), an azea south of the sediment <br />pond (Area 26), two azeas south and east of the central 1987 area (Areas 7 and 10), and <br />an area west of A pit (Area 15) bordered on the west and south by undisturbed range. <br />Vegetation cover transects and herbaceous production quadrats were distributed within <br />the five azeas based on size. The 1998 reseeded or interseeded azeas range from flat <br />(Areas 2, 7) to north and south sloping (Areas I S and 10, respectively). Reseeding or <br />interseeding with the permanent seed mix took place during the autumn of 1998 within <br />these areas with the goal of increasing perennial graminoid representation. Specific <br />Coors EnergyCompary Page 10 <br />2002 Revegetataon Monitoring Report <br />