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season gasses were present within the reference area, Bouteloua gracilis (blue game), <br />Calamovilfa longifolia (prairie sandreed), and Andropogon Iwllii (sand bluestem). <br />Bromus tectorurn (cheatgrass), an annual irnroduced undesirable grass was present in <br />significant numbers within the reference area this Bowing season. Seven fort species <br />were encountered during cover sampling this Bowing season. The number of species <br />represented in cover sampling increased from twelve in 2002 to fourteen this year <br />(Table 1) (Savage and Savage, 2002). Specific sampling information for the reference <br />area is contained in Tables 2 and 3. <br /> <br />i• <br />3.1.1.1 Vegetation Cover <br />Total vegetation cover of the reference area was 55.80 percent. Graminoids provided <br />23.00 percent mean cover (37.39% relative cover), forts contributed 8.60 percent mean <br />cover (13.03% relative cover), and one woody shrub was the dominant species in the <br />community with 24.20 percent mean cover and 49.58 percent relative cover. <br />The dominant vascular plant species of the reference area was the native woody shrub <br />Artemisia frlifolia. Artemisia filifolia accounted for 24.20 percent of the mean cover and <br />49.58 percent relative cover. Stipa viridula provided the second highest cover with 14.60 <br />percem mean cover and 25.50 percent relative cover. Remaining significant cover <br />contributors included Helianthus armuus (annual sunflower) with 4.60 percent mean cover <br />(7.08% relative cover), Bromus tectorum providing 3.40 percent mean (4.82% relative <br />cover), and Che»opodium album (lambsquarters) (2.20% mean and 3.12% relative). <br />Vegetative litter (prior year's growth, dead wood, and other biologic organic material) <br />comprised an average 36.60 percent ground cover within the reference area. Bare soil <br />comprised 7.60 percent of the Bound cover encoumered in the reference area. No rock <br />or cryptogams were encountered during this year's cover sampling. <br />3.1.1.2 Herbaceous Production <br />Total herbaceous production at the Osgood sand reference area was 130.21 g/m2 <br />(1161 Ib/ac). Annual forts contributed the highest herbaceous production in the reference <br />area with 64.20 g/m2 (572 lb/ac) or 49.3 percent of the total reference area herbaceous <br />production. Perennial grasses accounted for the next greatest contribution to reference <br />area herbac~us production, comprising 58.96 g/m2 (5261blac) and 45.3 percent of total <br />herbaceous production. Perennial forts provided 4.81 g/m2 (43 lb/ac or 3.7%) of the <br />reference area total herbaceous production this year. Ammual grasses contributed an <br />average of 2.24 g/mz (201b/ac) or 1.7 percem of total herbaceous production. <br />3.1.1.3 Species Composition <br />Within the reference area three lifeforms were represented; gasses, forts, and woody <br />plants. The total number of species encountered during cover sampling within the <br />Coors Energy Compargr Page 6 <br />2003 Revegaratbn Monitoring Report <br />