Laserfiche WebLink
INTRODUCTION <br />Quantitative sampling of reclaimed areas at Seneca Coal Company's (SCC) Seneca II and Seneca <br />II-W Mines was undertaken in July 1995 by ESCO Associates to facilitate SCC's continuing <br />monitoring of the progress of these areas in relation to revegetation performance standards. <br />Methods, sample areas; and sample sizes were those specified by SCC. <br />METHODS <br />Reclamation Units and Sampling Locations <br />Reclamation sampling units for the Seneca II Mine are shown on Map 1, "1995 Vegetation <br />Monitoring Locations". The 1995 reclamation units include: Wadge and Wolf Creek mining <br />areas reclaimed in 1978; Wadge and Wolf Creek mining areas reclaimed in 1988; Wadge and <br />Wolf Creek mining areas reclaimed in 1991; as well as the Wadge Pasture Area reclaimed <br />between 1978 and 1985 and grazed from 1988 to the present. The Seneca II Mountain Brush <br />and Sagebrush Reference Areas were also sampled, as was an area of reclamation that has been <br />used by sharp-tailed grouse (Tvmoanuchus phasianellus columbianus) as a lek in recent times. <br />Three existing off-site leks were also sampled to compare to the reclamation lek. <br />At the Seneca II-W mine, 1991 and 1993 reclaimed units were sampled. These sampling units <br />are shown on Map 3, "1995 Vegetation Monitoring Locations". <br />Within each reclamation unit identified in the SCC Scope of Work, the SCC-specified number of . <br />samples were located randomly on maps produced by SCC using numbered grid cells and random <br />numbers generated by computer. The SCC-assigned numbers of samples for a given parameter <br />in a given area reflected previously experienced sample variability or the level of precision <br />required in a given area. The desire to have finer estimation of mean values in areas <br />experiencing grazing and in the reference areas that provide control data necessitated larger <br />sample sizes. <br />Grid cell size was 100 feet x 100 feet in reclaimed areas, and 50 feet x 50 feet in reference <br />areas. These grid cells were placed contiguously by computer in a Geographical Information <br />System (GIS) rendering of reclamation areas to be sampled. Random number locations provided <br />by computer were used to select grid cells, in the middle of which a sample point was placed, and <br /> <br />