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1 <br />1 <br />' INTRODUCTION <br />i <br />' Thie report presents vegetation cover and species diversity data <br />for the reclaimed areas at the Walden Coal Company Mine site located <br />' northeast of Walden, Colorado. The reclaimed areas at the site consist <br />' of two parcels: one that was reclaimed in 1984 and a second that was <br />reclaimed in 1988. Sampling results are presented for each of these two <br />' areas and also for the two areas combined. These areas were also <br />sampled in 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993 and 1994. Tabular summaries of <br />' mean cover data for the seven sampling years are also presented ae a <br />means of evaluating vegetayon c~ ha_ngea that have occurred over the past <br />seven growing seasons. /Field sampling for this project was conducted on <br />' Augaet_3, 199.5. <br />' METHODS <br />Vegetation cover data were obtained using a point traneect method. <br /> With this approach, observations on plant cover were made at one-meter <br />' intervals <br />lon <br />a 25-met <br />t <br />ee <br />t <br />At e <br />h ob <br />ti <br />t <br />i <br /> g <br />a <br />er <br />ran <br />c <br />. <br />ac <br />serva <br />on po <br />n <br />, cover <br />' was evaluated using an optical sighting device. The device consists of <br /> <br /> an objective lens equipped with sighting cross-hairs, a focusing tube, <br />1 and a reflecting mirror /The device was mounted on a tripod and was <br /> oriented parallel to the ground at each observation point. The sighting <br />' device was attached to a bar that is 0.5 meters in length. Observations <br />' were made by recording what was observed at the point of intersection <br /> made by the cross-hairs. Two observations were made at each meter along <br />' the traneect (one on either Bide of the traneect tape), for a total of <br /> <br />