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Item Resolved. <br />26. The Division expressed uncertainty as to whether the proposed "70% of reference <br />area herbaceous cover and production" would be acceptable as success criteria for <br />sagebrush steppe communities. Based on further information provided by the <br />operator, and further consideration by the Division, the Division has concluded <br />that the proposed reduction from 90% to 70% of reference area herbaceous cover <br />and production would be appropriate for delineated areas where slope is 10% <br />or less and where documentation is provided that the areas were reclaimed <br />with the sagebrush steppe seedmix and associated measures (e.g. sagebrush <br />steppe targeted areas). Such reduction for cover and production would not be <br />appropriate for steeper slope areas where the sagebrush steppe measures are not <br />employed, but which nevertheless evolve into sagebrush steppe habitat (e.g. meet <br />woody plant density and diversity criteria for sagebrush steppe). In the context of <br />bond release success demonstration, this would mean that, if "targeted" sagebrush <br />steppe lands are combined with "evolved/non-targeted" sagebrush steppe lands <br />within a single bond release strata (e.g. Sagebrush Steppe), the cover and <br />production standards would need to be determined by acreage weighted parsing, <br />based on the relative area of the two types within the stratum. As such, for any <br />bond release parcel containing both components (targeted and evolved), the <br />cover/production success standard would be somewhere between 70% and 90% of <br />the reference value, depending on relative acreage of the components in the <br />parcel. <br />Please amend the narrative in Section 4.15.8, on amended pages 4.15-15 and <br />4.15-17, to clarify the distinction between "evolved" and "targeted" <br />sagebrush steppe, with respect to applicable cover and production standards <br />and success demonstration specifics, as described above. <br />27. The Division noted an error with respect to the weighting percentages listed on <br />amended page 4.15-13 for the Mountain Shrub, Sagebrush, and Aspen Woodland <br />Reference Areas. The error was corrected in the response submittal. Item <br />Resolved. <br />28. The Division requested the rationale for the proposed change to the previously <br />approved diversity standard, and rationale for the differing standards proposed for <br />the three reclamation categories (pre-2008 grazingland, post-2008 grazingland, <br />and post-2008 wildlife habitat). The response submittal included appropriate <br />rationale and modifications. Item Resolved. <br />29. The Division requested modification of certain proposed diversity standards, to <br />ensure that the standards will reflect reclamation plan objectives, and practicable <br />targets based on the seedmixes and practices proposed. The Division is in <br />agreement with the proposed standards, with the exception that, for the wildlife