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Vegetative litter (prior years growth, dead wood, and other biologic organic material) <br />. comprised 35.33 percent ground cover overall within the 1998 reseeded or imerseeded <br />areas. Bare soil comprised 24.00 percent of the ground cover. No rock or cryptogams <br />were encountered during the cover sampling in the 1998 reseeded or interseeded areas. <br />3.1.4.2 Herbaceous Production <br />Total herbaceous production within the 1998 reseeded or interseeded areas this year was <br />the highest of all areas sampled with 148.51 g/m2 (1324 lb/ac). Perennial grasses <br />contributed 68.16 g/m2 (6081blac) to herbaceous production in this area, comprising 45.9 <br />percent of total herbaceous production. Annual forts were the second largest contributor <br />to herbaceous production in this area with 47.20 g/m2 (421 Ib/ac) or 31.8 percent of total <br />herbaceous production. Annual grasses provided 24.49 g/m2 (2181b/ac), which was 16.5 <br />percent of the total mean herbaceous production. Perennial forts provided 8.67 g/m2 (77 <br />lb/ac) or 5.8 percent of total herbaceous production. Biennial forts did not contribute to <br />herbaceous production. <br />3.1.4.3 Species Composition <br />Cover sampling idemified four lifefomvs and fifteen species within the 1998 reseeded or <br />interseeded areas. The lifeforms included nine species of perennial grass, one annual <br />grass, one perennial, two annual forts, one succulent, and one shrub. Of the species <br />encountered on the 1998 reseeded or interseeded areas, twelve were native and three were <br />. introduced. Perennial species outnumbered annual species by twelve to three. Both warm <br />and cool seasoa species contributed to the seasonality of the 1998 reseeded or imerseeded <br />areas. Warm and cool season graminoids contributed equally with five species each. Cool <br />season forts prevailed with two of the three fort species. The succulent was evergreen <br />and the shrub species was deciduous. <br />The 1998 reseeded orinterseeded areas had seven species contributing greater than three <br />percent relative cover this year. The species contributing greater than three percerrt <br />relative cover included four perennial grasses, one annual grass, and two annual forts. <br />These species included Bromus tectorum (42.77%), Kochia scoparia (17.61%), <br />Spo~obolus cryptandrus (9.43%), Agropyron tntermedtum (6.92%), Bouteloua <br />curtipendula (6.29%), Calamovilfa longifolia with (3.77%), and Helianthus amruus <br />(3.14%). <br />3.1.5 1999 RECLAMATION AREAS <br />The 1999 reclamation areas encompass a total of approximately 18 acres of reclamation in <br />two distinct areas within the Keenesburg 1~Ime permit area. The areas are found on the <br />south and east sides of the mine; Area 5, a 2.6 acre parcel south of the topsand piles, and <br />Area 9, 15.3 acres of the former A Pit. In 2003, preliminary quantitative sampling was <br />undertaken in these two parcels reclaimed in 1999. Vegetation cover transeds and <br />herbaceous production quadrats were distributed within the areas based on size. Area 5 is <br />• <br />Coors EnergyCompary Page 12 <br />2003 Revegetation Monitoring Report <br />