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. Species Diversity. The plant cover data collected at each cover sample transect yielded data As described on page 780-84a of the Kerr Permit, the species diversity standard requires that at the Marr Mine site, the reclaimed plant community shall be composed of at least four dominant species comprising no more than 83 percent of the total relative percent cover and with no single species contributing more than 40 percent of the total relative cover. At least one of the four dominant plant species shall be either a shrub or a forb species. relative to absolute and relative cover. These cover data were then converted into percent composition or relative plant wver by species based upon the total amount of plant cover encountered in each sample transect. The relative importance values of plants growing on the reclaimed areas as outlined in the Permit, contain standards as to the number of perennial grass species growing on the reclaimed areas to ensure that a monoculture of a single plant or a few plants does not dominate the reclaimed areas. As described on page 780-84b of the Kerr Permit, at the Kerr Tipple Area, the species diversity standard is to luive at least three dominant species which must account for at least 54 percent and no more than 75 percent of the relative plant cover. At least one of the three dominant species shall be a forb and none of the three dominant plant species shall comprise less than three percent of the relative plant cover. Historical Data. To properly evaluate vegetation trends over time, we compared data previously collected during the 1980 baseline period as found in the Ken Permit as well as • previously collected revegetation monitoring data The Kea Permit data is referenced by the Permit table number, while the data collected by Rocky Mountain Reclamation (RMR) in 1996 entitled "1996 Vegetation Sampling for Interim Monitoring and Bond Release" is cited as the RMR 1996 data Revegetation monitoring data collected in 1999 by ESCO and entitled "Report of Findings -Reclamation Monitoring -Ken Mine -Jackson County, Colorado" was also compared to our data These data will be referenced as the ESCO 1999 data These data are included only to document historic trends and not in any way to satisfy any of the required bond release vegetation sampling requirements. Statistical Analysis of Data. As required by the Division's recently enacted regulations, it is not necessary to achieve sample adequacy for reclamation monitoring corresponding to the Phase II or Phase III bond release sampling efforts provided that the success standard has been achieved, the reverse null hypothesis is used and a minimum number of transects have been sampled. If sample adequacy is achieved, a minimum of a least 15 transects for cover and 30 transects for production and shrub density must still be collected. Therefore, all of the data collected in this evaluation were analyzed for sample adequacy in order to determine whether the Division's requirements had been satisfied. The new sample adequacy formula contained in the revised regulations was used, wherein a precision of 0.10 was used for cover and production and 0.15 for shrub density. On the reclaimed and reference areas sampled, all of the field data were analyzed in teens of "total plant cover" to detemrine whether sample adequacy was achieved prior to leaving the site being sampled. On the reclamation blocks and reference arras sampled for production, a