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Herbaceous Production • Total herbaceous production this yeaz in the 1997 reclamation areas was 242.71 g/m2 (2163 Ib/ac), the highest of all azeas sampled. Perennial grasses contributed significantly to herbaceous production, with 138.77 g/m2 (1237 Ib/ac} or 57.2 percent of total herbaceous production. Annual grasses contributed 30.76 g/m2 (274 Ib/ac) to herbaceous production in this area (12.7%). Annual forbs accounted for 19.93 g/m2 (178 lb/ac), which was 8.2 percent of the total mean herbaceous production. Perennial forbs provided the second largest lifeform contribution to herbaceous production in the 1997 reclamation areas with 48.92 g/m2 (436 Ib/ac) or 20.2 percent of total herbaceous production. Biennial forbs contributed the least with 4.32 g/m2 (38 lb/ac) or 1.7 percent of total herbaceous production. Species Composifion Cover sampling identified three lifeforms and twenty-five species within the 1997 reclamation areas. The lifeforms included thirteen species of perennial grass, one annual grass, two perennial, two biennial, six annual forbs, and one deciduous shrub. Of the species encountered on the 1997 reclamation azeas, sixteen were native and nine were introduced. Perennial and biennial species outnumbered annual species by eighteen to seven. Both warm and cool season species contributed to the seasonality of the 1997 reclamation azeas. Cool season gaminoids outnumbered warm season graminoids by eight to six. Nme forb species were identified as cool season and one was warm season. The 1997 reclamation azeas had eight species contributing greater than three percent relative cover including five perennial grasses, one annual grass, one perennial forb, and one biennial forb. These species included Ambrosia psilostachya (23.17%), Bromus tectorum (13.41%), Oryzopsis hymenotdes (10.16%), Meltlotus officinalis (8.94%), Calamovilfa longifolia (7.32%), Agropyron intermedium (6.91%), Agropyron smithu (4.47%), and Bromus marginatus (4.47%). 1998 RESEEDED OR INTERSEEDED AREAS The 1998 reseeded or interseeded azeas sampled this yeaz encompass 34 acres of reclamation in five distinct azeas within the Keenesburg Mine permit azea. The areas include an area immediately west of the dugout, an azea south of the sediment pond with three parcels, two areas south and east of the central 1987 azea, and an area west of A pit bordered on the west and south by undisturbed range. Vegetation cover transects and herbaceous production quadrats were distributed within the five areas based on size. No sampling occurred in the south half of the area south of the sediment pond as burning and disking had been undertaken in these areas to eliminate weedy species. The 1998 reseeded or interseeded azeas range from flat (west of dugout, east of'87 azea) to north and south sloping (west of A pit and south of'87 area, respectively). Reseeding or interseeding with the permanent seed mix took place during the autumn of 1998 within these azeas with the goal of increasing perennial graminoid representation. Two pazcels (one pazcel south of • the sediment pond and the azea west of the dugout) sampled this yeaz had been burned in -10-