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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY <br />The Historic Record Study Area was created in 1996 to provide a location for sampling a <br />vegetation community representative of the post-mining vegetation community that could <br />be expected to be re-established at the West Elk Mine. Vegetation sampling was initiated <br />in the historic record vegetation community in 1996 and continued in 1997, and 1998. <br />Discussions with the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety (CDRMS) in <br />1999 revealed a desire to undertake additional quantitative sampling during a defined <br />"wet" year. Subsequent to the 1999 meeting, changes in staff at both CDRMS and <br />Mountain Coal Company, LLC (MCC), and the lack of a defined "wet" year, caused years <br />to pass without resolution and establishment of the final revegetation standards accepted <br />under the revised historic records approach accepted by CDRMS in 1995. <br />Quantitative vegetation sampling of four vegetation parameters was undertaken at the <br />historic record. vegetation community in 2010. Data for total vegetation cover, total <br />herbaceous production, woody plant numbers, and species composition were collected in <br />July 2010. A woody plant census was undertaken for woody species individuals present <br />within the Historic Records Study Area. Mean values for total vegetation cover, total <br />herbaceous production, species composition, and woody plant numbers were consistent <br />with those parameter values from the quantitative sampling in the late 1990's. The <br />parameters indicate that the Historic Records Study Area is a long-lived stable, self- <br />sustaining vegetation community of a nature that would be expected to achieve by <br />reclamation and revegetation within the area of the West Elk Mine. Based on the data <br />collected, final revegetation success criteria are proposed for total vegetation cover, total <br />herbaceous production, woody plant density, and species composition. <br />1.0 INTRODUCTION <br />In 1996 the West Elk Mine initiated activities related to expansion of long-term mine <br />facilities in the Sylvester Gulch drainage, which was the location of the dry meadow <br />reference area. In order to address regulatory performance standards related to <br />revegetation success and minimize expenditures related to identifying, sampling, and <br />maintaining reference areas for each vegetation community disturbed by mine activities, <br />MCC pursued approval of alternative means of establishing revegetation success criteria <br />for the West Elk Mine from CDRMS. The alternative method selected was a historic <br />record approach. During the summer of 1996, MCC and Savage and Savage, Inc. <br />developed a historic record approach to establishing revegetation success criteria specific <br />to the West Elk Mine. The approach was approved by CDRMS in Permit Revision No. <br />07. <br />The approved approach to establishing a historic record, and subsequent revegetation <br />success criteria involved identification and selection of a representative vegetation <br />community which could be sampled in a controlled manner during a range of <br />environmental conditions, specifically, precipitation regimes. After the selection of the <br />historic record vegetation community in concert with CDRMS, the selected area was <br />Mountain Coal Company, LLC Page 1 <br />Historic Record Study Area Vegetation Sampling Report: 2010