2010-12-17_REVISION - C1981019 (108)

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RULE 2 PERMITS The revegetation philosophy utilizing a "prescribed ecological reclamation approach" (PERA), (previously adopted within TR -72, and further modified by TR -82 and TR -84) will be applied to the Collom area to facilitate creation of a wildlife habitat favorable vegetation community (sagebrush steppe) among the more dominant grasslands necessary for livestock grazing and erosion control. Efforts resulting from this approach will be subject to success criteria for bond release as detailed in Section 4.15. Revegetation will specifically target livestock grazing (with wildlife benefit) and sage grouse brood rearing habitat both of which serve as the joint components of the Post -mine Land Use. Areas designed to target livestock grazing (and utilization by wildlife) will comprise approximately 60% to 80% of the reclaimed landscapes. These areas will principally occupy more steeply sloping ground ( >10% slope) where the grassland community is necessary to preclude excessive erosion, especially from snowmelt (Please see Map 46 - Collom Area Reclamation Plan Map). Based on a detailed evaluation of the post - mining topography, the remaining 20% to 40% (Map 19D) of the reclaimed landscape will afford flat or gently sloping surfaces ( <10% slope) with reduced exposure to erosion. It is on these less exposed more gentle slopes whereby development of wildlife favorable habitats (sagebrush steppe) can be attempted. In this regard, sagebrush communities targeting sage grouse brood - rearing habitat will be attempted in earnest on approximately 20% (or more) of the reclaimed landscape, with the goal of achieving success on at least one -half of this acreage or as otherwise agreed upon between Colowyo and CDRMS. The principal basis of PERA is to rebuild the foundation conditions of target vegetation communities taking into account the appropriate aspects, slopes, and topographic features of the reclaimed landscape. In this manner, targeted communities, as opposed to more simple grasslands will be more strongly encouraged. Potential reclamation techniques to be applied to facilitate the targeting of sagebrush communities include, but are not limited to: 1) taking advantage of site - specific opportunities for development of convex and concave surfaces to encourage snow entrapment; 2) development of small berms along the contour and somewhat perpendicular to prevailing winds, also to encourage snow entrapment; 3) use of native species; 4) severe reduction of grasses in the seed mix; 5) use of only bunch grasses for those taxa planted with sagebrush; 6) sharp increases in the amount of sagebrush seed to be used; 7) extra care to obtain the correct subspecies of sagebrush (vaseyana pauciora) with a seed source as close as possible to the Axial Basin; 8) extra care to place seed at the ideal time of year (immediately prior to the first major snowfall event; 9) placement of thin layers of topsoil over overburden; 10) possible placement of zero topsoil; 11) possible placement of thin layers of overburden over topsoil; 12) use of specialized seed placement equipment to obtain correct planting depths; 13) use of seedbed preparation equipment and techniques to encourage sagebrush emergence; and 14) interseeding of additional grasses and /or forbs (only where necessary) following a period of 2 — 3 years of growth by shrubs. All of these possible techniques / metrics are designed to diminish the competitive advantage of grasses, at least in the early stages of establishment and growth. The primary "foundation- building" element for this approach is the ability to replace variable topsoil depths and/or quality of soil materials depending on site - specific needs, the discretion of the field construction supervisor, and the capabilities (or lack thereof) of available materials and equipment. The following practices will not be promoted or practiced in the Collom area with respect to the topsoil resource: 1) Topsoil will not be "buried in place" within the footprints of existing stockpiles in order to reduce the amount of resource to be moved and placed on reclamation areas. 2) At no time will topsoil be placed without adequate metrics in place to accurately estimate volumes placed within each reclamation unit to ensure an accurate accounting of the topsoil balance. 3) Topsoil will not be placed indiscriminately within reclamation units in a manner that does not serve a specific defendable purpose regarding vegetation type establishment or location within the reclamation unit or localized watershed. In summary, application of PERA on "shrub- favorable areas" would be based on the community development contributory factors of. 1) soil quantity, quality, and replacement depth; 2) aspect, slope, and landform; 3) documented and expected performance of various floral species; 4) revegetation metrics; and Collom — Rule 2, Page 106 Revision Date: 1/23/09 Revision No.: PR -03