2008-05-19_REVISION - M1985022 - Laserfiche WebLink

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only retard their growth and establishment and ability to fix nitrogen. Further, the use of fertilizers can and often does introduce nitrates into the upper reaches of the watershed and can induce severe difficulties with the establishment of aquatic vegetation in wet areas as well as eutrophication of aquatic systems. Fertilizers will also encourage the establishment of weedy species. Most tundra soils are thin and stony or rocky. Native species establishment in the alpine tundra usually occurs as a result of seeds being lodged beneath stones and rocks where they have a more consistently moist environment and the seedlings can be somewhat protected from the intense infra-red and ultra-violet radiation in high altitude habitats. Therefore, stones and rocks are the primary "mulch" material in the tundra. Adding other mulches results in a decline in plant available nitrogen and because most tundra species are well adapted to living in low to moderate nitrogen levels, adding mulches interferes with the ability of native species to acclimate to long- term nitrogen levels in the soil. In the bond calculations, cost for fertilizer and mulch was included. These costs should not be included as they will no longer be a part of the reclamation. In alpine tundra both actions tend to cause more problems than they solve. ADDITIONAL FUTURE CHANGES TO THE PERMIT: Although it is not known exactly how many acres are disturbed on the site or what volumes of earth actually need to be moved to produce the intended topography, once the snow melts and the site is accessible, a site visit maybe made to determine whether the reclamation costs can be further reduced with some additional "modernization" of the plan. This could include modifications to the grading plan, calculations of actual volumes that need to be moved, and, of course, determining the actual area of disturbance. At the same time, invading native vegetation can be examined with possibly further modifications of the seed mix to more fully integrate the seed mix with invasion patterns. In tundra habitats it is often very important to rely more heavily on invasion of local ecotypes than seeded ecotypes. That is, once it is known what is invading and how it is invading, the seed mixture can be adjusted or modified to complement and aid in that invasion process so the final vegetation can be reached more quickly than simply relying on seeded plant materials. It is also possible that a temporary cessation will be sought at a later date or the introduction of language into the permit that would effectively include provisions for temporary cessation into the permit itself. Any additional revisions would probably not be submitted until late July or August of 2008. Technical Revision - Bullger Basin Placer M-1985-022 May 19, 2008 Page 2 of 2