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Recommendation for the Reclamation Plan Oxbow Carbon and Minerals Somerset Mine and Sanborn Creek Mine This Recommendation addresses the following proposed changes to the approved reclamation plan: 1. Seed mix for reclamation of all disturbed areas, 2. Adjustments to the fertilization specification, 2. Proposed seeding and fertilization methods. These revisions to the proposed reclamation plan are provided to address concerns surfaced by the State of Colorado Division of Minerals and Geology in their letter dated September 13, 1996 from Dan Mathews to David Beny regarding Oxbow Carbon and Minerals, Inc.; TR No. 27 (Permit No. C-81-022). 1. Revised Wildlife Habitat Seed Mix The proposed revisions to the reclamation seed mix were developed to target the post mined land use of quality wildlife habitat by adjusting the seeding rates and species components so that the species diversity will be in line with the potential climax plant community for these sites. The present vegetation community on these sites represent a low range condition due to the past over grazing practices. The shrub components of Utah Juniper and Oak brush dominate these sites with an under story dominated by Heart Leaf Arnica, Cheat grass, and Japanese Brome grass. Therefore, Oxbow Carbon Minerals desires to replace the vegetation community that approximates the Climax potential for these sites. The seed mix design and percent composition were derived by selecting the major species components (dominance diversity) found in the predominant range sites corzelated with the underlying soil communities. (Table-1) The reclamation area is predominately underlain with soil types of Torriorthents-Rock Outcrop-70%, Absazokee-Beenom Soil Complex-30%. These soils aze correlated to the Rocky Loam and Brushy Loam range sites which have a climax plant community that is dominated with grasses and asub-dominant shrub community. Due to the mixing of soils, waste rock, and other materials that now constitute the available plant-growth- medium, aselection of vegetation species from the three soil types and there correlated range sites were selected as the final proposed seeding mix. (Table-2) Seeding rates are expressed in Pure Live Seed Pounds and are specified at a rate of40 live seeds per square foot, which is the recommended seeding rate under broadcast seeding methods. (Natural Resources Conservation Service specifications as per Wendell Hassell NRCS-National Technical Advisor for Plant Materials, Denver, Colorado September 23/1996) 2. Adjustments to the Fertilization Specification Dr. Ed Redente at Colorado State University and Dr. Teny McLendon at the University at Texas at EI Paso have conducted research in the past seven yeazs in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Texas, and New Mexico on limiting nitrogen to assist in accelerating secondary native plant succession and recovery. Their work has shown that if native plant establishment and the reduction of