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Conclusions <br />With respect to the successfulness of revegetation efforts on the 1999 Reclamation at the Man <br />Mine, since sample adequacy was achieved for plant cover sampling on the Alkali Sagebrush <br />Reference Area and the corresponding 1999 reclamation sites, and the plant cover growing on <br />the revegetated sites exceeds the calculated success standard, it can be determined that the total <br />plant cover growing on these sites is considered successful with respect to the revegetation <br />success standard for plant cover. Using the reverse null statistical hypothesis, the calculated tr <br />value was determined to be 2.4047, which exceeds the tt value of 1.345, therefore, it can be <br />concluded that the successfulness of revegetation efforts with respect to total plant cover is <br />supported by these data. <br />With respect to herbaceous forage production, sample adequacy was achieved on the Alkali <br />Sagebrush Reference Area. Since sample adequacy was not achieved for total herbaceous <br />production on the 1999 Reclamation with the recommended 30 transects sampled, application of <br />the reverse null statistical approach documents that the total herbaceous production for the 1999 <br />reclamation sites, the tc values (7.7408) in these two reclaimed areas exceed the 4 values (1.311), <br />and thus, it can be concluded that the total forage production satisfies the revegetation success <br />standard. Since sample adequacy was not achieved for shrub density at the recommended 30 <br />transacts for the 1999 reclamation sites, application of the reverse null statistical approach <br />documents that for the shrub density values on these two sites, the t, values (2.6237) in these <br />exceed the 4 values (1.311), and thus it can be concluded that the shrub density satisfies the <br />revegetation success standard. These monitoring data confirm that for the parameters of total <br />plant cover, total herbaceous production and shrub density the Phase III Bond Release criteria <br />have been satisfied at the Man Mine site for total plant cover with respect to the 1999 <br />reclamation. <br />With respect to species diversity, the four dominant plants growing on the 1999 Reclamation <br />were found to contribute 89.43 percent of the total cover, above the Permit standard of 83 <br />percent and the single most dominant plant was found to contribute 61.87 percent of the total <br />plant cover. Examination of the data found in Table 3, Alkali Sagebrush Reference Area - Plant <br />Cover, reveals that the species diversity standard for this site is unrealistically high. For <br />example, in 6 of the 15 cover transects sampled on the Alkali Sagebrush Reference Area, the <br />four dominant plants exceed the permit standard. With respect to the maximum allowable <br />contribution of 40 percent relative cover being contributed by a single plant species, examination <br />of the data found in Table 3, Alkali Sagebrush Reference Area - Plant Cover, reveals that this <br />species diversity standard is unrealistically high, as 7 of the 15 reference cover t wisects sampled <br />would fail this standard. <br />It is unrealistic to apply a broad species diversity standard to a small reclaimed tract such as the <br />1999 Reclamation site and ignore the Permit provisions that allow for the vegetation parameters <br />to be calculated on a "weighted average basis." It must be pointed out that the 1999 <br />Reclamation block only accounts for 8.2935 acres or 2.36 percent of the total of 351.4977 acres <br />of reclamation that have been completed at the Marr Mine. It is totally unrealistic to assume that <br />an area that accounts for such a small percentage of the entire area must be treated as a stand <br />13