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Horizon Mine 2 azea. For the relatively intensive agricultural land uses proposed, <br />simple seed mixes comprised of a small number of productive forage grasses and <br />legumes are appropriate. The relatively small acreage of dryland pasture will be <br />interspersed among the larger irrigated blocks, and will be used for Iivestock <br />grazing rotations in association with management of the irrigated lands. There <br />will be some diversity among land use types due to the use of different seedmixes <br />and management practices, however, no specific post-mine land use objective <br />would be served by the establishment of species diversity standazds applicable to <br />the post-mine land use types proposed. <br />4. Woody plant density -Not applicable to irrigated pastureland, irrigated hayIand, <br />or dryland pasture reclaimed areas within the New Horizon Mine 2 area, for the <br />same reasons discussed under "Species Diversity", above. Woody plant <br />establishment is not desired by landowners within the permit area, and would not <br />be compatible with the proposed agricultural land uses. <br />The Division proposes to approve these techniques (4.15.7(1)). <br />E. In order to demonstrate that revegetation success criteria of 4.15.8, 4.15.9, and 4.15.10 <br />have been met, the following success standards will be used: <br />New Horizon Mine 1: <br />1. Cover -Reclaimed azeas will be compazed to the established reference azea or a <br />technical standazd of 43.9 percent ground cover (vegetation and litter) depending <br />on whether the azea has been previously mined or not. <br />2. Production - Reclaimed areas will be compared to Natural Resources <br />Conservation Service potential productivity values (technical standards) for <br />Shavano (5001bs./ac.) or Persayo (2501bs./ac.) soil series depending on end land <br />use. <br />Species diversity -Reclaimed areas will achieve a standazd of three grasses, one <br />focb and one shrub with relative cover values greater than three percent. The <br />combined relative importance will not exceed 85 percent and no one species will <br />contribute greater than 40 percent relative importance. <br />4. Seasonal variety requirements will be waived since the proposed species will <br />support the proposed post-mining land use. <br />5. Woody plant density -Not applicable. <br />New Horizon Mine 2: <br />Cover -The success standard for irrigated pasture is 71.8% live vegetation cover, <br />based on a 1987 vegetation baseline study conducted within the original New <br />Horizon Mine 2 azea. Cover sampling conducted in 1999 within representative <br />33 <br />