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~~~ ~~~ <br />rnrrronmrmal rrvnrinr and enRmrcrt <br />Vegetation Sampling at <br />Sun Coal's Meadows <br />No. 1 Mine <br />August, 1491 <br />IMS Inc. sampled vegetation in one reclaimed area and two reference aeeas for the <br />Meadows No. 1 mine near Hayden, Colorado on August 19, 20 and 21, 1991. <br />The purpose of the sampling was to characterize vegetation on previously mined <br />lands with respect [o revegetation success standazds for vegetation cover, <br />herbaceous production and species diversity. Woody plant density, which was <br />sampled in 1990, is the subject of a pending application for technical revision, and <br />was not sampled in 1941. Thomas A. Colbert was the project manager for this <br />project; Steve Viert was field supervisor. Assisting in the sampling were Steve <br />Long and Steve Johnson. <br />Revegetation success standazds for herbaceous production, total vegetation cover <br />and species diversity are specified in the permit application for the Meadows No. 1 <br />mine. Sampling methods are also given in the permit application. <br />Sampling Methods <br />IMS discussed sampling methods prior to the 1990 sampling with Matt Hayes of <br />the Division of Mined Land Reclamation. These were subsequently clarified in a <br />memo from IMS to the Division dated July 6, 1990. The same methods For <br />sampling vegetation cover and herbaceous production were employed in 1991. <br />For vegetation cover, a transect method was proposed in lieu of the quadrat method <br />used in the vegetation baseline inventory. This method is more in conformance <br />with the Division's technical guideline for vegetation sampling. The Division <br />approved this change. <br />One reclaimed area and two reference areas were sampled. The reclaimed area is <br />about 100 acres. One reference area, a mountain brush type located at the neazby <br />Peabody Seneca mine, is about five acres. Anew three-acre reference azea of a <br />sagebtvsh/grass type was identified near the mine area and sampled for the first <br />time in 1991. The reclaimed azea was graded, covered with topsoil, and seeded to <br />a mixture of grasses, forbs and shrubs some years ago. Sample locations were <br />randomly selected using randomly generated grid coordinates overlain on a <br />topographic map. <br />Herbaceous production was determined by harvesting current year's herbaceous <br />vegetation from meter-square quadrats. Harvested material was separated by life <br />form (grasses and forbs) and weighed. Representative samples were oven dried to <br />-~- <br />