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n Quantitative sampling of reclaimed areas at Seneca Coal Company's (SCC) Yoast Mine was undertaken in July 1999 by ESCO Associates to initiate SCC's monitoring of the progress of these areas in relation to revegetation performance standards, where applicable. At this early point in the development of the Yoast facilities, revegetated areas are of limited extent. Areas subject to sampling in 1999 were a patchwork of temporary treatments mixed with a few small areas of permanent seeding located along the mine access road. Sampling in 1999 was directed toward expeditious observation of the variation of sites present and comparison to conditions present in the portion of the Sagebrush extended reference area that lies adjacent to the mine access road. METHODS Reclamation Sampling Locations Sample locations utilized at the Yoast Mine in 1999 are shown on Map 1, "1999 Vegetation Monitoring Locations". Reference Area Sampling For a general reference point, the portion of the extended reference area for the Sagebrush vegetation type that lies along the mine access road was sampled. Extended Reference Area sampling locations are shown on Map 1, "1999 Vegetation Monitoring Locations". Cover Sampling • Cover data were collected along 50 m transects using a point intercept method in which data were recorded as interceptions of a point with plant species, litter, standing dead plant material, soil or rock. Plant material produced during 1999 and stilt standing was tallied by species. Litter was considered to be any organic material that had fallen, or had begun to fall to the soil surface. Standing dead was any dead plant material that was produced in previous years but which was still standing and had not lodged or broken off to become litter. Inorganic materials greater than 1 cm in diameter were considered rock. The cover sampling points were optically projected using a Cover-Point Optical Point Projection Device developed by ESCO Associates. The 50 m transects were randomly located and oriented in the reclaimed and reference areas. Fifty points were collected at each transect and distributed evenly along the transect. A pair of points were collected at each meter with points sampled on opposite sides of the transect at each meter mark, 0.5 m from the transect. First hit interceptions were used to calculate absolute top layer foliar cover (see COVER column in data tables) by dividing the number of interceptions for a particular species, or ground cover type by the total number of points taken (100). First hit relative vegetation cover was calculated by dividing first hit absolute cover for each species by the total first hit vegetation cover. Ail-layer absolute cover (COVER-ALL column in data tables) was calculated by dividing all hits (first-hits and additional-hits) for particular species by the total number of points taken (100). In addition, all-layer relative cover was calculated using all hits for particular species divided by the total hits accumulated during sampling of the transect. Herbaceous Production Sampling Herbaceous production sampling was accomplished using one-half square meter (0.5 mZ) circular quadrats within which all herbaceous growth in a vertical production was removed by clipping, and placed in labeled paper bags. When alfalfa (Medicago sativa) occurred, it was placed in • separate, labeled bags. Lichens and mosses present in the sample quadrat were not collected. Clipped material was returned to the ESCO laboratory and dried at 105 °C for 24 hours, then weighed to the nearest 0.1 gm.