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approved post mining land use of rangeland and dryland pastures. The reclaimed topography, channel <br />gradients and general engineered designs are in compliance with all rules and regulations. <br />Backfilling and grading for the bond release area was closely inspected during the 1994 bond release <br />inspection. Currently, there are no signs of subsidence, differential settling at the face of the highwalllpit <br />interface, ar significant erosion. The site was adequately vegetated and showed no signs of any water . <br />ponding or standing. All backfilling and grading requirements of the bond release area are in compliance <br />with the Rules and permit requirements. <br />Sediment ponds 001 and 006 were previously approved to be retained as permanent impoundment <br />structures. These structures support the post-mining land-use of rangeland. <br />PHASE ?I <br />Tv?. <br />All topsoil stockpiles have been redistributed on the reclaimed land at New Horizon Mine 1. Some areas <br />were pre-law anal others were not, hence there were some differences in the amount of topsoil replaced, <br />Generally, the topsoil thickness vary from 6 inches to 16 inches in the A and B horizons. There was no <br />attempt made to apply different horizons separately in the reclamation, since the soils were never <br />separated upon stripping by the previous operator, Peabody Coal. Topsoil depths were previously . <br />inspected during the 1994 Phase 1 & ? bond release inspection and found to be adequate and to have met <br />the permitted and regulatory depths ? . <br />l?istor <br />Intermountain Resource Inventories Inc. conducted vegetation sampling for the New Horizon Mine. <br />Vegetation sampling was conducted on New Horizon I property formerly owned by Peabody Coal. The <br />purpose of sampling was to gain bond release on that portion of New Horizon I property where <br />revegetation adequacy success had been met, Vegetation sampling occurred September 24,1999 through <br />October 3, 1999 and October 4 through October ?, 2000. Prior to and during sampling, a killing or <br />significant frost had not yet occurred. Plants had good form and vigor in relation to climatological aspect. <br />Revegetation on reclaimed lands was sampled in two areas Areas 1A and 1B? by species for percent <br />cover. One other reclaimed area Area ?? was sampled far hay production. Two reference areas, 199'9 <br />dryland pasture and 2000 dryland pasture were also sampled for vegetative cover to represent the standard <br />of success by which to judge the proposed bond release lands, This study constitutes two consecutive <br />studies, 1999 and 2000. In both years all three areas met or exceeded the standard. <br />Sediment Loss from Reclaimed Areas <br />The land requested for this bond release is rangeland {Vegetation Sampling Areas 1-A and 1-?), which <br />was originally an upland sagebrush community before mine disturbance. Since a comparison must be <br />made of the sediment loss from the reclaimed area to that of the original mine community, the best <br />manner to accomplish this is to use the vegetation statistics from the reclaimed areas and the upland <br />sagebrush reference area in 1999, This reference area was the original reference area for the mine until <br />1999, when the revision to use a dryland pasture reference area instead was approved. In order to release <br />the sediment ponds at the southern end of the property din particular Pond #1), a sediment loss <br />comparison will also be done for Vegetation Sampling Area 2, which drains Into Pond 1, This area was <br />studied in 1'999 and will be compared to the sagebrush reference area which was studied at the same time.