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A standard of at least 150 live woody plant stems per acre will be apply on <br />"Grassland" targeted areas of the post-2008 reclamation. <br />• A standard of at least 250 live woody plant stems per acre will apply on at least 3% <br />of the pre-2008 reclaimed surface. <br />Please revise all appropriate sections of the narrative within revised sections 2.05.4 and <br />4.15 to incorporate the above stated woody plant density standard commitments. <br />6. There are many excellent concepts enumerated (1-14) in the paragraph beginning at the <br />bottom of amended page 2.05-42 and continuing on page 2.05-43. Some of these concepts <br />have been incorporated as permit commitments, while others are included as optional <br />measures. The Division has one question regarding the enumerated items: <br />What measures will be taken to ensure that the correct subspecies of mountain big sagebrush <br />(A. vaseyana pauciflora), with a seed source as close as possible to the Axial Basin, will be <br />utilized? Please specify how this will be achieved and include the commitment within a <br />footnote to the seedmix tables. <br />7. A summary list of management practices that may be undertaken to encourage or protect <br />positive recruitment to shrub populations is listed on amended page 2.05-43. The Division <br />encourages use of the practices discussed, if properly implemented in accordance with all <br />applicable statutes and agency approvals. The Division requests that an additional practice <br />be included; interseeding of shrubs as a normal husbandry practice, if warranted. <br />Please clarify that management of elk or other wildlife by hunting would be conducted <br />on the permit area only in accordance with applicable statutes and approval of <br />necessary authorities, including MSHA and CDOW. Also, please include interseeding <br />of shubs as a management practice that would be applied as warranted, when shrub <br />seeded parcels do not exhibit satisfactory establishment or trend toward shrub <br />component site objectives, and state that such interseeding would be conducted in <br />accordance with Rule 4.15.7(5)(g), with proper documentation in the Annual <br />Reclamation Report for that year. <br />8. Figure 2.05-5 is somewhat difficult to interpret due to the small scale and associated lack of <br />detail. Also, there appears to be only 60 acres of potential steppe habitat depicted within the <br />South Taylor disturbance area, and half or more of the South Taylor acreage is not even <br />included in the diagram, despite the fact that the Division's understanding was that the <br />primary focus of revegetation in the South Taylor revision area would be <br />shrubland/wildlife habitat. If the reason for the limited acreage of steppe habitat is the <br />imposed 10% slope limit, it may be appropriate to increase the slope limit for steppe habitat <br />up to 15%, and decrease the imposed lower size limit for steppe parcels. <br />a) Please submit a larger scale map to replace Figure 2.05-5. Map 41A and <br />corresponding map for the original permit area with drainage features depicted, would <br />be appropriate as a base, to allow for meaningful interpretation. <br />Colowyo Coal Company, C-1981-019 TR-72 <br />April 29, 2008 Page 6 <br />