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August 24, 2010 C-1981-019/Colowyo Coal Mine pa??7
<br />Bromus Tectorum) that did not have a perennial grass component. The dominance of the cheatgrass does not
<br />appear to be declining in this reclamation block. The Division has made the decision to exclude reclamation block
<br />WPO10 from the Phase II Bond Release. The reclamation block encompasses 5.7 acres will still be considered for
<br />Phase I Bond Release. Given the dominance by cheatgrass and the close proximity to the newer West Pit
<br />reclamation in Taylor Draw, Colowyo will need to treat reclamation block WPO 10 and reseed it. This exclusion
<br />area is shown on Inspection Map 14.
<br />Section 16 Pit Revegetation
<br />- The areas included in the Phase II Bond Release application (SL-04) for the Section 16 Pit are reclamation
<br />blocks 16010 and 16014, encompassing 17.37 acres. There are no reclamation blocks in the Section 16 Pit that
<br />have been requested for Phase III Bond Release. Both of these areas were walked during the inspection.
<br />- The two reclamation blocks in the Section 16 Pit displayed excellent herbaceous cover overall. These areas
<br />showed some diversity but were generally dominated by a small number of introduced species (including
<br />intermediate, crested and Siberian wheatgrasses). There were scattered shrubs in the two reclamation blocks
<br />(including big sagebrush, rabbitbrush and wood's rose, which has been browsed down to several inches in height).
<br />- There were scattered thistle plants, including Canadian Thistle, around the Section 16 Phase II reclamation
<br />blocks. There were also two larger patches of thistle, which are noted on Inspection Map 13. These thistle
<br />patches and individual plants will need to be sprayed prior to the approval of the Phase II Bond Release
<br />application SL-04.
<br />- As noted in the "Roads" section above, there is an access road for the Section 16 Pond that cuts across
<br />reclamation block 16010. This road has some ruts and gullying and will need to be repaired. The portion of the
<br />road that cuts across the Phase II reclamation block (as well as the Phase I reclamation blocks) will be excluded
<br />from this bond release. The exclusion area is approximately 0.2 acres.
<br />East Pit Revegetation
<br />- The vast majority of the Phase II and III Bond Release area is in the East Pit. The reclamation blocks included in
<br />the Phase II Bond Release application SL-04 are EP028, EP029, EP030, EP031, EP032, EP033, EP034, EP035,
<br />EP036, EP037, EP038, EP039, EP040, EP041, EP042, EP043 and EP044, encompassing 365.89 acres. The
<br />reclamation blocks included in the Phase III Bond Release application SL-05 are EP001, EP002, EP003, EP004,
<br />EP005, EP006, EP007, EP008, EP009, EPO10, EPO11, EP012, EP013, EP014, EP015, EP016, EP017, EP018,
<br />EP019, EP020, EP021, EP022, EP023, EP024, EP025, EP026, EP027, EP028, EP029, EP030, EP031, EP032,
<br />EP033, EP034 and EP035, encompassing 932.40 acres. Reclamation blocks EP028 through EP035 are included in
<br />both the Phase II and Phase III Bond Release. All of the Phase II reclamation blocks were walked during the
<br />inspection and most of the Phase III reclamation blocks were walked as well.
<br />- As with the West Pit and the Section 16 Pit, the East Pit shows excellent vegetative cover overall, with perennial
<br />grasses and forbs dominating. The newer reclamation (post-1995, Phase II areas) exhibited more diversity than
<br />the earlier reclamation. The older reclamation was dominated by a few species of introduced grasses, including
<br />intermediate, crested and Siberian wheatgrass. Colowyo has changed their seed mix several times in the past and
<br />those changes were evident as we traveled across the various reclamation blocks. In addition to the difference in
<br />Number of Partial Inspection this Fiscal Year: 3
<br />Number of Complete Inspections this Fiscal Year: 0
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