2008-01-10_PERMIT FILE - M2008002

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flatter the slope, the better the opportunity for revegetating the disturbed area. Areas which were compacted during mining should be ripped. Topsoil which was stockpiles should be spread evenly over the base area to a minimum depth of 6 inches. The site should then be tilled and firmed to prepare a suitable seedbed. The proposed site in located in an area having around 13 inches of annual precipitation. Timing to replant the site will be critical to vegetation establishment success. Seeding of the site should be done in the fall( October 15th of later) prior to the soil freezing. The seed should be drilled with a grass drill having double disk openers and packer wheels. Drilling should be performed as much as possible on the contour, avoiding drilling up and down the slopes, which would increase the risk of erosion. The planting depth should be approximately ;4 inch. If the seed is broadcast instead of drilled, then the following recommended rate must be doubled. If broadcast, the area should be harrowed or dragged after the seed is spread to incorporate the seed into the soil. Mulching the site is recommended with clean, weed free straw at 3,000 pounds of air dry mulch per acre. However, unless the mulch is properly crimped into the soil with a disc or mulch crimper, mulching would be a waste of time and expense, as the wind will likely remove the mulch. The following grass species are recommended to be used to reseed the gravel pit site and to provide temporary cover on the stock piled topsoil. Native shrubs are expected to invade the site in a relatively short time after the pit closure. The following mixture is in pounds of pure live seed (PLS) per acre. Species Variety Pounds PLS/Acre Western Wheatgrass Arriba 2.0 Thickspike wheatgrass Critana .8 Slender Wheatgrass San Luis .1 Russian Wildrye Vinal .8 Beardless wheatgrass Whitmar 1.5 Total Pounds PLS/Acre 6.2 Proper and adequate weed control measures will be necessary the first two years, to ensure the establishment of a sufficient stand of grass and prevent the invasion of weeds, especially noxious weeds. If weed competition is reduced the opportunity for grass establishment is increased significantly. Appropriate herbicides should be applied the first growing season during the early spring and summer to control weeds if present. The herbicide label should be followed. 3