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III IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII <br />999 <br />INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM <br /> <br />TO: KENT GORHAM <br />FROM: JANETBINNS \;~ <br />SUBJECT: RATONCRE ,C 2-055 <br />DATE: 11/04/1999 <br />CC: DAN I TFRNANDEZ <br />1 have reviewed the Raton Creek Mine permit (C-82-055) for applicability of the reclamation success <br />standazds. The landowner has voiced concern regarding reclamation success standard being too <br />stringent on this site. I reviewed the "pre-permit" vegetation sampling data, and [he soils capability <br />data for this site. There is no published NRCS soil survey available for Las Animas County. Soil <br />capability class is based upon information provided by the NRCS (fomlerly SCS). <br />Current approved reclamation success standazds for the Raton Creel Mine are: <br />a Vegetative cover = 25% <br />~ Herbaceous production = 3001bs./acres <br />e Woody Plant density = 500 stems/acre <br />~ Diversity =Grasses at least 60% of total vegetative cover with no one grass species exceeding 50% of <br />grass cover value.. Porbs shall comprise at least l0% of the total vegetative cover. Shrubs shall <br />comprise 5% of the total vegetative cover. <br />Approved Post-mining land-use is Rangeland. (permit page 533). <br />The soils on the site aze primarily Louviers and Rombo <br />NRCS (formerly SCS) Soil suitability description, found in page 211 in the permit, states that average <br />annual production on the Louviers soil type is 400 lbs. air-dried vegetation. The potential plant <br />community would consist of Pinyon, and Juniper, with an understory of Indian ricegrass, Sideoats <br />grama, muttongrass, and Little bluegrass. <br />Rombo soils would have a potential average annual production of 1150 lbs. Per acre. The potential <br />vegetative community on the Rombo soils would be composed of Big bluestem, Little bluestenl, <br />Juniper, Western wheatgrass, and Needle-and-thread grass. <br />Pre-permit sampling resulted in 30.9% vegetative cover in the Pinyon-Juniper community (this <br />includes cover contributed by trees and forbs) and 39.3% vegetative cover in the bottomland. <br />Productivity was 269 lbs./acre dry herbaceous production in the Pinyon juniper community and 1061 <br />lbs./acre dry herbaceous production in the bottomland. <br />