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i ~~~~ ~~ <br />VIII. ANNUAL VEGETATION MONITORING ~9-' <br />• An annual vegetation survey was conducted at the <br />Keenesburg Mine on October 5th through 7th, 1992. <br />The amount of cover, production and diversity of <br />vegetation was determined on both the reclamation <br />and reference areas and compared. <br />The vegetation sample points for the reclamation <br />area were determined by a 100' x 100' grid pattern <br />overlaid on the December '91 map. Each grid <br />intersect was numbered. Fifteen sample points were <br />randomly chosen from the five-hundred and thirty <br />possible points. The points were located on the <br />reclamation and staked. <br />The vegetation sample points for the reference area <br />were determined by a 50' x 50' grid pattern. In <br />past years, a 100' x 50' grid was used on the <br />reference area with the grid origin at the southeast <br />corner. By setting up the grid in this manner, only <br />35 sample points were possible and many points were <br />repeat sampled every year. The size of the grid was <br />decreased to increase the possible number of points <br />equally likely to be sampled. To insure random <br />selection of sample points, the origin of the grid <br />was determined by random selection of two numbers. <br />• One represented the number of feet north, the other <br />represented the number of feet west from the <br />southeast corner of the reference area. By using <br />this system of more points and a randomly selected <br />grid origin, a better representation of the <br />reference area can be obtained. The grid intersects <br />were numbered and 10 sample points were randomly <br />selected from a total of one hundred possible <br />points. The points were located and staked. <br />Sample plot size was reduced from 1/2 meter to 1/4 <br />meter because of the large amounts of vegetation <br />production. Cover was estimated by the aerial <br />extent of the vegetation. Litter was not included <br />in the cover estimate; however, there is a well <br />established amount of litter on the reclamation <br />areas which provides an amount of erosion control. <br />Future estimates of cover should include an estimate <br />of litter cover. <br />Plant species were included by percent of cover and <br />clipped separately for production. Plants were <br />clipped at ground level and old growth removed <br />before bagging. After two weeks of air drying, the <br />plant species were weighed to determine production. <br />• <br /> <br />Page 11 <br />