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receiving his notification. He had concerns about what he believed is a subsidence <br />feature on his property. Since Mr. Auge is an adjacent landowner and outside of the <br />Twin Pines No. 2 Mine permit boundary, any subsidence features on his property <br />would not be the result of mining at the Twin Pines No. 2 Mine. <br />Backfilling and Grading <br />All areas have been appropriately backflled and graded to the approximate original <br />contour. All reasonably available spoil in the permit area was utilized. Backfilled <br />slopes are compatible with the post mining land use of rangeland. Edges of the <br />disturbed area blend well into the adjacent, undisturbed areas. One highwall area <br />remains at the portal site. It is a sandstone and shale outcrop about 20 feet in height <br />with a moderately steep lower slope of another twenty feet of talus material from the <br />outcrop above. Due to the rocky nature of the surrounding terrain, this area does not <br />appear unnatural or out of place. A bench below the highwall was purposefully <br />constructed to capture any rocks that might fall from above or roll downslope. The <br />bench area is also fenced to keep people, livestock and deter wildlife from this area. <br />The fencing also includes signs warning of the danger from falling rocks. The <br />requirements of Rule 4.14 have been met to the extent applicable. <br />Topsoiling <br />All topsoil was redistributed at this site. No topsoil stockpiles remain. Distribution <br />of topsoil over the regraded areas improves the chances for revegetation success over <br />the bond liability period and reduces the likelihood of erosion problems developing. <br />Areas of exposed spoil and overburden materials were not observed during the final <br />field inspection, indicating all areas received at least a minimal application of topsoil <br />prior to reseeding. No serious rills or gullies exist on the reclaimed areas. <br />Revegetation <br />The baseline vegetation survey was prepared by the U.S. Soil Conservation Service <br />using the undisturbed areas adjacent to the mine which is characterized by a pinion <br />juniper forest. Ground cover was estimated at 10 to 20 percent. Rock fragments <br />made up 30 to 40 percent of the surface area over the mine site area. Grasses were <br />estimated to contribute 35-40 percent of the cover. Forbs were fairly sparse, <br />contributing an estimated 2 percent of total cover. The estimated air dry forage <br />production was 500 to 700 pounds per acre. Annual forbs, predominantly Kochia <br />and Russian thistle, dominated the historic strip pit area with scattered rabbitbrush. It <br />was observed by the SCS that reclamation on the abandoned spoil piles completely <br />failed or was never attempted. <br />The mine operator, Twin Pines Investment Ltd., ceased operations in August 1993. <br />Backfilling, grading and topsoiling of the site was completed in the fall of 1995. A <br />mix of native grasses, forbs and shrubs was planted in the fall of 1995. No additional <br />5