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• the proposed regulation changes issued on March 27, 2003 entitled "Revegetatwn, Land Use, Wildlife and Alluvial Palley Floors" and formally adopted September 14, 2005 by the Colorado Division of Minerals and Geology (DMG now called the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety RMS) and corresponding documents were used with respect to sample adequacy calculations and proposed statistical comparisons. The con•esponding vegetation maps showing the locations of the two reference areas sampled in connection with this sampling effort are found on Map 18, Ken Mine Area Vegetation. The specific limits of the specific reclamation units sampled were taken from the 2004 Annual Reclamation Report Maps for the Marc Mine Area. Prior to commencing the 2006 field sampling and during the preparation of this report, the Permit monitoring requirements were reviewed and discussed with Mr. Patterson and Mr. Jerry Nettleton, formerly with Montgomery, Watson Harza Inc. and Ms. Janet Binns of the RMS regarding the proposed sampling methods and data analysis methods to be used. Agreement on the sampling methodology used in this evaluation as well as permission to use the recently adopted program amendments was obtained from the RMS prior to initiating field sampling. In this evaluation, the vegetation parameters of production, plant cover, species diversity and shrub density were sampled. These data were then utilized to evaluate the successfulness of revegetation efforts with respect to cover, forage production, species diversity, and shrub density. Transact Locations. To ensure that all of the areas within each corresponding reclamation block . and reference area sampled, had an equal chance of being sampled, each proposed sample azea was treated as a sample unit and a totally randomized sampling effort was implemented. Utilizing the original vegetation maps, showing the specific reference area locations and 2004 reclamation maps prepazed by Kerr and our GPS unit, the extreme north, south, east and west boundaries of each site sampled were converted to the 1927 Colorado State Plan Northern Zone (NAD 27) coordinate system. The interval used in the state plan coordinate system is based on foot increments. Given the typical real-time accuracy of this GPS unit of plus or minus 18 inches, all of the transact locations were field located at a sub-meter accuracy. Once the boundaries of the reclaimed area or reference area were identified, then using a specially prepared computer program which generates random coordinates, the potential transact location coordinates were identified. These coordinates were then entered into the GPS unit and the transact location starting points were mazked in the field. At each transact location starting point, the transact direction was determined by selecting a random direction based on the degrees of the compass (0 to 360.Once the transact orientation was determined, then the 50-meter tape was laid out across the site. All transecis were kept within the sample unit boundaries. In situations where the transec:t placement resulted in the traosect alignment crossing a sample unit boundary, the transact line was backed up for that portion of which crossed the boundary line 180 degrees. Where the 50-meter tape could not be placed within a narrow reclaimed area due to boundary constraints, then the transact line was changed 90 degrees at the point where the boundary line was crossed to ensure that the entire transact alignment was located within the area to be sampled. n lJ