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Haul Road /County Road 65 Topsoil Stockpile: This topsoil stockpile is stable but has a Cheatgrass problem, primarily on the south side. Perennial vegetation includes Crested, Intermediate, and Western wheatgrass, Russian wildrye, and Smooth brome (Bromus rnermis). Recommendations Species and growth form diversity are lacking in most of the revegetated sites. This appears to be caused by two factors; 1) inappropriate seed mixes and 2) excessive competition from weedy and seeded species. Much more diverse seed mixes have been proposed in the permit renewal submitted in January 1999. In addition, site specific variations in seed mix placement may need to be incorporated which would allow shrub and forb species to establish away from the competition of aggressive perennial grasses. On laydown areas with limited diversity several approaches may be appropriate. Before hasty judgements are made one must keep in mind that these areas are currently in stable, productive states. They are all small enough to where additions of other life forms would not provide added ecological value beyond achieving numeric criteria in Deserado's permit. In their current state they increase the diversity of the entire ecosystem when taken in context with the adjacent shrublands. This aside, the numeric criteria will someday have to be met for closure. The first approach is to allow natural successional changes to run their course to obtain the desired diversity criteria. This appears appropriate for several of the laydown areas where shrubs and fortis have begun to encroach from adjacent undisturbed lands. ~, Other sites may require limited control of existing vegetation and interseeding of alternate species of the desired life forms. Strips of vegetation could be sprayed with Roundup or a grass selective herbicide to eliminate the existing competition. Various selective mixes of the/ desired species would then be seeded within these strips.