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2006 Edna Mine Vegetation Sampling Report <br />2. Reference Areas <br />As described in the sampling plan, snowberry sage and oak mountain shrub vegetation <br />communities were the two dominant vegetation communities within the mining disturbance area. <br />The mining disturbance acreage within these two vegetation communities was measured in <br />order to weigh vegetation parameter values based on their respective reference areas. This <br />analysis determined that 83% of the disturbed area was snowberry sage and 17% was oak <br />mountain shrub. <br />Snowberry sage and oak mountain shrub reference areas were sampled in 2005 for herbaceous <br />cover and herbaceous production. However, in 2006, the eastern portion of the snowberry sage <br />reference area was mowed for brush removal and a replacement reference area approximately <br />1.5 acres in size was chosen to replace the mowed area (Figure 2-3). The new reference area <br />is now comprised of the unmowed western portion of the original reference area, and a new <br />replacement eastern portion. To determine if the new reference area was an appropriate <br />replacement for the old reference area, a number of statistical comparisons were performed <br />using the 2005 and 2006 data. Based on these analyses, it was determined that the <br />replacement reference area was equivalent in herbaceous cover to the western half of the <br />original reference area, the pre-mowed eastern half, and the whole new reference area ( <br />Habitat Management, Inc. 3 October 19, 2006