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• where the transect placement resulted in the transect alignment crossing a sample unit boundary, <br />the transect line was backed up for that portion of which crossed the boundary line 180 degrees. <br />Where the 50-meter tape could not be placed within a narrow reclaimed azea due to boundary <br />constraints, then the transect line was changed 90 degrees at the point where the boundary line <br />was crossed to ensure that the entire transect alignment was located within the azea to be <br />sampled. <br />Reclaimed Areas Sampled. EFCI, directed 1ME to sample three reclamation areas in this <br />reclamation monitoring effort. These three reclamation azeas are the Vento Reclamation, which <br />consists of five different reclamation blocks reseeded in October 2003, the Corley Reclamation, <br />which consists of one area reclaimed in October 2003 and which was reseeded again in October <br />2004, and the Loadout Reclamation, which according to the 2005 Annual Reclamation Report <br />was originally reseeded in 1997 and again for a second time in 1999. <br />Plant Cover. Plant cover was evaluated by sampling along an outstretched 50-meter transect <br />tape. Along the outstretched tape, a total often previously identified and randomly selected <br />intervals were selected as the sample locations along the outstretched tape. These ten points were <br />then used as the sample locations for collecting plant cover. At each designated sample point, an <br />inclined metal ten-point frame, one meter in height was positioned perpendiculaz to the tape and <br />a sharpened metal rod was dropped. Each sampling point was sampled at ten-centimeter <br />intervals along the ten-point frame. Even numbers were sampled on the right-hand side of the <br />tape and odd numbers were sampled on the left-hand side of the tape. <br />• Each observation was recorded as to the specific plant species enwuntered as the rod was <br />dropped. If no plant cover was encountered, then the observation was recorded as to the presence <br />of plant litter, rock, bare ground, lichens or cryptograms. Plant material produced in the 2006 <br />growing season which was still attached to the plant was considered as living plant material and <br />all plant material produced in prior years or which had fallen to the ground was considered to be <br />litter. The 100 data points collected along each transect were then summarized into a single <br />datum for purposes of statistical analysis. Absolute and relative plant cover, species diversity, <br />and plant life forms were determined based upon the observations collected in sampling the plant <br />cover. <br />As outlined in the Southfield Mine Pemut and in subsequent technical and minor revisions, as <br />approved by the Division, the plant wver standard at the Southfield Mine is based on a "total <br />herbaceous cover" standazd (revised permit page 2.05.4-27), which means that all plant cover <br />including annual and biennial plant and listed noxious weeds aze sampled and counted towazd <br />the cover standazd while the cover contributed by shrubs and trees is excluded.. <br />The Southfield Mine reclamation cover and production success standazds are based on reference <br />azeas standards, wherein the potential revegetation success standards are based upon a "weighted <br />average" value based upon the acreage of each vegetation type disturbed by mining. According <br />to the calculations found on revised permit page 205.4-27, submitted in connection with Minor <br />Revision 48, the corresponding success standazd is based upon a "weighted average approach" <br />wherein the "weighting factor will reflect 79.8 percent grassland and 20.2 percent <br />