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• the sampling of the two reference areas. However, based upon the historic sampling of the <br />Grassland Reference Area, where sample adequacy was obtained in 1987 and 1997 yielded a <br />value of 41.00 percent. Ninety percent of this value would be 36.9 percent. The total cover <br />value obtained from the 2005 reclamation sampling of 42.33 percent exceeds the probable <br />revegetation success standard and this is most encouraging since these areas were seeded in <br />October 2003 and thus the sampling results obtained from this site represent only the second <br />years growth. <br />The locations of the 15 cover transects sampled on this site are shown on Map 1, Southfield <br />Mine Area -Vegetation Transect Location Map. Copies of the individual field data sheets for the <br />plant cover sampling of this site are found in Appendix A -Copies of Vento Reclamation -Plant <br />Cover -Field Data Sheets. The sample adequacy calculations in Table 2, Southfield Mine <br />Sample Adequacy Calculations, document that the number of samples required to describe this <br />site at the 90 percent confidence interval was 1.8 transects. <br />Table 2, Southfield Mine Sample Adequacy Calculations, reveals that the forage production on <br />this site at the 90 percent confidence interval was determined to equa135.2 transects. The <br />locations of the 30 production transects are shown on Map 1, Southfield Mine Area -Vegetation <br />Transect Location Map. Copies of the original field data sheets for this area are found in <br />Appendix B -Copies Vento Reclamation -Production -Field Data Sheets. <br />Production. The results obtained from the 30 production transects sampled on this site are <br />• presented in Table 4, Vento Reclamation -Production. The average total production on this site <br />was determined to equa132.70 g/1 /4mZ or 1165.4 pounds of air-dry forage per acre. Perennial <br />grasses contributed an average of 20.669 g/1/4mZ or 63.3 percent of the total forage production. <br />Perennial forbs, contributed an average of 4.52 g/1/4mZ or 13.8 percent of the total herbaceous <br />production. Annuals contributed a total of 7.49 g/1/4mZ or 22.9 percent of the total herbaceous <br />production. <br />The final revegetation success standard for production is to be determined based upon sampling <br />of the two reference azeas and by using a weighted average of these sites. There as no reference <br />area sampling conducted in this evaluation, therefore, the probable revegetation success standazd <br />obtained from the 1987 and 1997 sampling of the Grassland Reference Area will be used in this <br />evaluation as a relative comparison of revegetation success. In 1987 the total production was <br />determined to average 74.08 grams / mZ or 660.1 pounds of air dry forage per acre and in 1997, <br />production averaged 32.55 g/1/4 mZ or 1,160 pounds of air dry forage per acre. Using these <br />historic reference area data, the relative revegeta6on success standazd for production would <br />average approximately 25.54 g/1/4 mZ or 910 pounds of air dry forage per acre. Since the value <br />obtained from the 2006 sampling yielded an average of 32.70 g/1/4 mZ or 1165.4 pounds of air <br />dry forage per acre and this value exceeds the probable revegetation success standazd, it can be <br />concluded that the revegetation on the Vento Reclamation exceeds the probable revegetation <br />success standard. <br />Table 2, Southfield Mine Sample Adequacy Calculations, reveals that the forage production on <br />this site at the 90 percent confidence interval was determined to equal 35.2 transects. The <br />• _ <br />