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• Herbaceous Production Overall total herbaceous production within the 1997 reclamation areas was 122.24 g/m2 (1089.6 16/ac). Perennial grasses contributed significantly to herbaceous production, with 35.57 g/m2 (317.0 Ib/ac) or 29 percent of total herbaceous production. Annual grasses contributed 3.60 g/m2 (32.1 16/ac) to herbaceous production in this azea. Annual forbs provided the second largest contribution to herbaceous production; accounting for 35.84 g/m2 (319.5 lb/ac), which was 29.3 percent of the total mean herbaceous production. Biennial forbs were represented in the herbaceous production sampling in this area and accounted for an average of 9.24 g/m2 or 82.4 lb/ac. Perennial forbs provided the greatest lifeform contribution to herbaceous production in the 1997 reclamation areas with 37.99 g/m2 (338.61b/ac) or 31.1 percent oftotal herbaceous production. Species Composition Cover sampling identified two lif'eforms and seventeen species within the 1997 reclamation areas. The lifeforms included five species of perennial grass, one annual grass, three perennial, two biennial, and six annual forbs. Of the species encountered on the 1997 reclamation areas, nine were native and eight were introduced. Perennial species outnumbered annual species by eight to seven, with two biennial species present. Both warm and cool season species contributed to the seasonality of the 1997 reclamation areas. Graminoids were evenly split between warm and cool season species. Eight forb • species were identified as cool season and three were warm season. The 1997 reclamation areas had nine species contributing greater than three percent relative cover including one perennial grass, one annual grass, three annual forbs, two biennial forbs, and two perennial forbs. These species included Helianthus annuus (29.85%), Ambrosia prilostachya (17.41%), Calamovilfa longifolia (12.94%), Kochia scoparia (8.96%), Bromus tectorum (7.46%), Conyza canadensis (5.97%), Melilotus offrcinalis (4.98%), Chenopodium album (3.98%), and Melilotus alba (3.48%). 1998 RESEEDED OR INTERSEEDED AREAS The 1998 reseeded or interseeded areas sampled this yeaz encompass 16 acres of reclamation in four distinct areas within the Keenesburg Mine permit area. The areas include an area immediately west of the dugout, two areas south and east of the central 1987 area, 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 four areas based on size. The 1998 reseeded or interseeded areas range liom flat (west of dugout, east of'87 area) to north and south sloping (west of A pit and south of '87 azea, respectively). Reseeding or interseeding with the permanent seed mix took place during the autumn of ]998 within these areas with the goal of increasing perennial graminoid representation. Specific sampling information for the 1998 reseeded or interseeded areas is contained in Tables 5 and 9. • -10-