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Kochia scoparia decreased 43 percent. These changes reflect the significance of the <br />• precipitation conditions on both relative cover and species composition in this area. <br />4.5.4 1998 Reseeded or lnte~seeded Areas <br />Quantitative sampling has been undertaken is these areas for the past five growing <br />seasons. During this time thirty-two species have been encountered. Of the species <br />encoumered, nine have been present all years. These species include three perennial warm <br />season grasses (Bouteloua curtiperedula, Bouteloua gracilis, and Calamovilfa longifolia), <br />two perennial cool season grasses (Agropyron smithii and Oryropsis hymenoides), one <br />annual grass (Bromus tectorum), one perennial native fort (Ambrosia psilostachya), one <br />native annual fort (Helianthus arnmus), and one introduced annual fort (Kochia <br />scoparia). <br />Of the species present in all years, only Agropyron smithii has consistently increased in <br />relative cover urnil this season when relative cover decreased 70 percent. Bouteloua <br />curtipeadula and Bouteloua gracilis, warm season graminoids, and Oryzopsis <br />hymenotdes, a cool season graminoid, increased in relative cover this season over Inst. As <br />noted in all areas, Bromus tectorum relative cover increased significantly this year. <br />Ambrosia pstlostachya increased in relative cover this season from last seasons low. <br />Kochia scoparia and Helianthus anmrus both decreased in relative cover this season, <br />despite the apparently favorable precipitation regime. This may represent a maturing of <br />these azeas. <br />5.0 SUMMARY <br />Quantitative monitoring of the 1995, 1997, and 1999 reclamation areas, the 1998 reseeded <br />or interseeded areas, and the Osgood sand reference area in 2003 showed that none of the <br />reclamation areas met final revegetation success criteria for total vegetation cover. With <br />regazd to total herbaceous production, all reclamation areas exceeded the total herbaceous <br />production value from the Osgood sand reference area, therefore meeting the revegetation <br />success criterion for herbaceous production. Of the azeas sampled in 2003, none of the <br />areas sampled could meet the species composition revegetation success criterion <br />(including the Osgood sand reference area). Though the reclamation areas did not meet <br />the cover or species composition success criteria, it was concluded that the reclamation <br />areas have established a diverse, effective, and permanent vegetation cover of the same <br />seasonal variety native to the area and are capable of self-regeneration and plant <br />succession in accordance with the requirements of the Colorado Surface Coal lv1ming <br />Reclamation Act. <br />-~J <br />Coors Energy Company Page 25 <br />2005 Revegetatbn Monitoring Report <br />