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woody plants (shrubs, trees, and succulents) were enumerated by species. Determination of whether or <br />not a plant could be counted was dependent upon the location of its main stem or root collar where it <br />exited the ground surface with regard to belt limits. A total of 45 belt transects were sampled for the <br />Phase III bond release. Sample adequacy was determined for informational purposes only. <br />The second method is total enumeration and was used on 10 of the 11 shrub patches that were <br />previously mapped within the reclaimed community (the remaining patch will be counted in 2009). This <br />method involved total counts of woody plant populations as opposed to estimates of mean densities <br />through statistical sampling. Implementation of the total count technique involved circumscribing the <br />boundaries of the target polygon with hip chain thread while following the previously GPS'd boundary. <br />Once a unit was circumscribed in this manner, a team of two or more persons walking shoulder -to- <br />shoulder traversed the plot enumerating each plant by species. The person farthest inside the line of <br />observers trailed hip chain thread to mark their path to prevent missing or double counting specimens on <br />subsequent passes. The distance between observers was usually 15 feet or less depending on the height <br />of grasses and the presence of low growing taxa such as rose or snowberry. Each internal observer also <br />• "zigzaged" as they progressed, occasionally turning to view the area just passed to ensure visual <br /> . coverage of the entire portion of the plot for which they were responsible. Constant communication <br /> . among crew members precluded double counting or missing of plants located along the margins of <br />observed paths. <br />2.4 Determination of Current Annual Production <br />At each sample site, current annual production was collected from a 1 / 2 m quadrat frame placed <br />one meter and 90 to the right (clockwise) of the ground cover transect to facilitate avoidance of <br />vegetation trampled by investigators during sample site location (see Figure 1). From within each <br />quadrat, all above ground current annual vegetation within the vert ical boundaries of the frame were <br />clipped and bagged separately by life form as follows: <br />Perennial Grass <br />Annual Grass <br />Sub shrubs <br />Perennial Forb <br />Annual Forb <br />Noxious Weeds (if found) <br />All production samples were returned to the lab for drying and weighing. Drying occurred at 105 C until <br />a stable weight was achieved (24 hours). Samples were then re- weighed to the nearest 0.1 gram. <br /> 1 <br /> ' Cedar Creek Associates, Inc. Page 10 Colowyo Mine <br />Phase III Bond Release Evaluation <br />