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• 2.0 RESULTS <br />2.1 Overall Summa <br />Overall, a total of 85 plant spades were observed within the 20 units evaluated in 2003. These <br />consisted of 28 grass taxa, 42 forts, and 15 shrubs (see Table 19). Table 19 indicates all taxa observed <br />during fieldwork and is the only table that indicates 1) common names, 2) historic scientific <br />nomendature, and 3) most current taxonomic nomendature. Remaining tables do not indicate this latter <br />category. On average, 34 unique plant species are observable in any given revegetation unit. Among <br />these taxa was an occasional noxious or invasive weed such as musk thistle or Japanese brome, with the <br />latter occasionally existing as more notable patches. <br />Although Colowyo reference areas were not sampled in 2003, success testing for the variables of <br />cover and production in comparison to reference area data is typically not problematic. This general <br />observation appears to be especially true for Colowyo's current annual herbaceous production that is <br />typically two to three times greater than found in the reference areas. Therefore, it is Cedar Creek's <br />recommendation that production monitoring continue as manifested in 2003 (dipping of a modest 5 <br />• quadrats in older units) to primarily track varying wpadty development and provide managerial level <br />information. On occasion comparison can be made to reference area data when such data and <br />comparisons are deemed necessary (e.g., bond release testing). To the wntrary, there are situations at <br />Colowyo where ground cover testing is not so "automatic". These situations typically indude at least two <br />different circumstances, the first of which concerns those areas that are purposefully planted to a <br />predominance of shrubs at the expense of grass cover. In these areas, ground cover values are <br />substantially reduced plating the unit at modest risk for failure of the ground cover variable. The second <br />situation involves those units that exhibit patches or infestations of annual grasses (e.g., EP034 and <br />EP035 -see Charts 1 and 2). Until the revegetated community is suffidently strong and mature to force <br />these populations of annuals to minimal levels, there is risk that the perennial herbaceous ground wver <br />component may be insufficient to pass success testing. Therefore, it is Cedar Creek's recommendation <br />that reference areas at Colowyo be evaluated for ground cover on an annual basis to provide comparison <br />data for at least the two potential situations that may occur during any given year's monitoring program. <br />With regard to diversity, Colowyo's revegetation efforts are atypically strong as indicated on Table 3 <br />and Charts 6 and 7. As observable on these exhibits, diversity tends to increase with the age of <br />reclamation and in most cases should be sufficient for bond release testing by the time they are of <br />• suffident age for such testing (years 9 and 10 of the bond responsibility period). As indicated on Chart 7, <br />Kenneeott Energy Co. / Colowyo Mine Page 5 Revegetegon Nbnkoring -2003 <br />