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submitted a formal Technical Revision to the Division to modify certain existing permit requirements and utilize the Proposed Colorado Program Amendments in the 2005 sampling effort. Agreement on the sampling methodology used in this evaluation has been previously approved by the DMG in the Raton Creek Mine Permit and in other revegetation monitoring efforts prior to initiating field sampling and approved by the Division for use at the Raton Creek Mine for this sampling effort. In this evaluation, the vegetation parameters of production, plant cover, species diversity and shrub density were sampled. These data were then utilized to evaluate the successfulness of revegetation efforts with respect to cover, forage production, species diversity, and shrub density. Transact Locations. To ensure that all of the reclaimed areas at the Raton Creek Mine had an equal chance of being sampled, the entire reclaimed area was treated as a single sample unit and a totally randomized sampling effort was implemented. Utilizing the GPS unit, the extreme north, south, east and west boundaries of the area to be sampled were identified according to the 1983 Colorado State Plan Southern Zone (NAD 83) coordinate system. The interval used in the state plan coordinate system is based on foot increments. Given the typical real-time accuracy of this GPS unit of plus or minus 18 inches, all of the transact locations were field located at a sub- meter accuracy. Once the boundaries of the reclaimed area were identified, then using a specially prepared computer program which generates random coordinates, the potential transact location points were identified. The transact coordinates that were within the existing reclamation blocks were then entered into the GPS unit and the transact location starting points were marked in the field. At each transact location starting point, the transact direction was determined by selecting a random direction based on the degrees of the compass (1 to 360.Once the orientation of the transact was determined, then the 50-meter tape was laid out along the transact alignment. All transacts were kept within the reclaimed sample unit boundaries. In situations where the transact placement resulted in the transact alignment crossing beyond the reclaimed area boundary, the transact line was backed up for that portion of the transact which crossed the boundary line 180 degrees. Where the 50-meter tape could not be placed within a nazrow reclaimed azea due to boundary constraints, then the transact line was changed 90 degrees at the point where the boundary line was crossed to ensure that the entire transact alignment was within the azea to be sampled. Plant Cover. Plant cover was evaluated by sampling along an outstretched 50-meter transact tape. Along the outstretched tape, a total often previously identified and randomly selected intervals were selected as the sample locations for plant cover sampling. These ten points were then used as the sample locations for collecting plant cover. At each designated sample point, an inclined metal ten-point frame, one meter in height was positioned perpendiculaz to the tape and a sharpened metal rod was dropped. Each sampling point was sampled at ten-centimeter intervals along the ten-point frame. Even numbers were sampled on the right-hand side of the tape and odd numbers were sampled on the left-hand side of the tape. Each observation was recorded as to the specific plant species encountered as the rod was dropped. If no plant cover was encountered, then the observation was recorded as to the presence