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more prevalent than warm season species (11 to 7 species) this year in the 1995 <br />• reclamation areas. Warm season graminoid species accounted for six species and cool <br />season species included eight species. Three fort species were idernified as cool season <br />and one was warm season. The succulent was evergreen and the shrub was deciduous. <br />The 1995 reclamation areas had eleven species contributing greater than three percent <br />relative cover this year. These species included ten perennial grasses and one annual <br />grass. These species included Bromus tectorum (14.51%), Bromus marginatus (13.33%), <br />Calamovilfa longifolta (12.55%), Agropyron tntermedium (8.63% relative), Sporobolus <br />cryptandrus (7.06%), Agropyron smithii (7.06%), Oryzopsts hymenoides (6.67%), <br />Agropyron cristatum (6.27%), Bouteloua curtipendula (5.88%), Bouteloua gracilis <br />(5.49`/0), and Agropyron dasystachyum (3.14%). <br />3.1.3 1997 RECLAMATION AREAS <br />The 1997 reclamation areas sampled encompass approximately 18 acres of reclamation in <br />fow distinct areas within the Keenesbwg Mme permit area. The areas are found <br />throughout the disturbance area of the mine and include Area 3 that is a road corridor <br />between the 1985/1986 central reclamation areas and the 1986 east area, Area 14 (an area <br />to the west of A pit), and Areas 18 and 21, two areas adjacem to B pit. Vegetation cover <br />transacts and herbaceous production quadrats were distributed within the fow areas based <br />on size. The 1997 reclamation areas are nearly flat overall with a gentle slope (1-3°) to <br />the north. Reclamation and wincidern revegetation with the permanertt seed mix took <br />. place during the autumn of 1997 within these areas. Replaced soils were sandy in texture. <br />Specific sampling information for the 1997 reclamation areas is contained in Tables 6 <br />and 7. <br />3.1.3.1 Vegetation Cover <br />Total vegetation cover of the 1997 reclamation areas was 43.60 percent in 2003. <br />Graminoids provided 31.40 percern mean cover (75.09% relative cover) and forts <br />accounted for 12.20 percent mean cover and 24.91 percent relative cover. Total cover <br />values within parcel transacts were variable as was the cover between parcels that ranged <br />from 34 to 54 percent. Only one graminoid species (Agropyron smithi:~ was present in <br />every transact, while Helianthus anmrur was present in 90 percent of the transacts, and <br />Bromus tectorum, Calrnnovilfa longifolia, and Oryzopsis hymenotdes were represented <br />widely in seven of ten transacts. The lowest overall total vegetation cover was found in <br />Area 14 (34%) and the highest cover for an area was encountered in Area I8 (54%). <br />Within the 1997 reclamation areas, the native perennial grass Agropyron smithii provided <br />the highest overall cover with 9.00 percent mean cover and 23.02 percem relative cover, <br />Agropyron smithii was found in atl 1997 reclamation transacts sampled. Bromus tectorum <br />provided the second highest overall cover with 7.20 percent mean total cover and 14.34% <br />relative cover. The annual fort Helianthars annuus wntributed 7.00 percent mean weer <br />• <br />Coors Energy Compargr Page 8 <br />2008 Revegetatfon Monitoring Report <br />