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Of particular interest is the fact that Blue Grama and Sideoats Grama, two native warm <br />season grasses, are now becoming subdominates on this site, contributing a combined <br />total of 29.96 percent of the total plant cover. In 1991 these two warm season grasses <br />contributed 30.39 percent, in 1989 they contributed 18.54 percent, and in 1987 they <br />contributed only 4.41 percent of the total cover of this site. <br />A total of 18 different plant species contributed towards the plant cover in 1997, (fable <br />2, Plant Cover and Composition of 1983 Reclamation Seeding). Whereas in 1991, 12 <br />species and in 1989 only 10 species were encountered in the cover sampling on this site. <br />These data suggest an increase in perennial plant species numbers on this site as the <br />reclamation ages. <br />Production. The average forage production for the 1983 Reclamation Seeding from the <br />1997 monitoring effort was calculated to equal 49.65 grams per quarter square meter or <br />1,160 pounds per acre (table 8, Summary of Plant Production). In the 1991 sampling of <br />this site forage production was found to be 21.96 grams per one quarter square meter <br />or 782.7 pounds of air dry forage per acre. In 1989, forage production on this site was <br />estimated at 18.54 grams per quarter square meter or 661 pounds of air dry forage per <br />acre. Forage production in 1987 on this site was estimated at 57.32 grams per quarter <br />square meter or 2,042 pounds of air dry forage per acre. These comparisons suggest <br />that forage production has declined since initially sampled in 1987 but has apparently <br />stabilized during the last two monitoring periods. <br />1987 RECLAMATION SEEDING <br />over. A total of five cover transects were sampled on this reclaimed site and sample <br />adequacy at the 90 percent confidence level was found to equal 4.82 percent. Since <br />sample adequacy was achieved on this site for plant cover these data can be evaluated <br />with a reasonably high level of accuracy. <br />The total plant cover for the 1987 Reclamation Seeding in 1997 was found to equal 40.8 <br />percent (Table 3, 1987 Reclaimed Area Percent Plant Cover, Species Composition and <br />Frequency). In 1991 the total plant cover on this site was determined to be 34.60 percent. <br />This compares with an average cover of 28 percent total plant cover obtained from the <br />1989 sampling of this site, suggesting that the cover of this site has steadily increased <br />since the site was reseeded and as the site matures. <br />Grasses contributed 77.94 percent of the total plant cover in 1997 (Table 3, 1987 <br />Reclaimed Area Percent Plant Cover, Species Composition and Frequency). In 1991 <br />grasses contributed 56.65 percent of the total plant cover of this site while this value in <br />1989 was found to be 34.29 percent. The increase in grass cover appears to be largely <br />attributable to the decline in annual species which have decreased in percent composition <br />from 63.57 in 1989 to 1 percent in 1997. The decline in annuals is an anticipated <br />successional change in any newly reseeded plant community over time. <br />4 <br />