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II. DEVELOPMENT OF A HLSTORIC RECORD FOR REVEGETATION <br />SUCCESS AT THE WEST ELK MINE <br />INITIAL REVEGETATION SUCCESS STANDARDS <br />During the initial permitting of the West Elk Mine in 1980 and 1981, revegetation <br />success was proposed to be based on two reference areas established in Sylvester <br />Gulch. Since two vegetation communities (oakbrush and dry meadow) were initially <br />disturbed during the construction of surface facilities at the West Elk Mine, a dry <br />meadow reference area and an oakbrush reference area were established. The reference <br />azeas were to be used for evaluation of total vegetation cover and herbaceous <br />production during revegetation evaluations for bond and liability release. Total <br />vegetation cover and total herbaceous production from the reference areas were to be <br />compared with mean parameter values obtained from the sampling of the post-mine <br />reclaimed and revegetated areas. <br />Subsequent to the initial permitting of the mine, evaluation of the reference area <br />concept occurred in the regulatory, mining, and academic communities. Concerns <br />arose with the long-term management and maintenance of reference areas, as well as <br />their comparability to the expected (and observed) post-mining vegetation communities. <br />Several regulatory options for development of revegetation success criteria existed in <br />addition to reference areas, but technical standard and historic record approaches had <br />not been pursued by the mining industry or evaluated by regulatory authorities, and <br />involved unspecified commitments to data acquisition. <br />DEVELOPMENT OF ALTERNATIVE REVEGETATTON SUCCESS CRITERIA: <br />HISTORIC RECORDS <br />[n 1995, the West Elk Mine began investigating an expansion project which would <br />involve additional development and expansion of the Lower Refuse Pile and surface <br />facilities. As a result of these projects, additional vegetation communities would be <br />disturbed at the mine. Location, establishment, and maintenance of reference azeas for <br />each vegetation community disturbed or affected was no longer a viable option for <br />determining revegetation success criteria. An evaluation of the historic record <br />approach to establishing revegetation success criteria was undertaken. <br />-2- <br />