2011-07-15_PERMIT FILE - C1981019A

• Permit No: C1981019A
• IBM Index Class Name: Permit File
• Doc Date: 7/15/2011
• Section_Exhibit Name: 4.15 Revegetation Requirements
• Media Type: D
• Archive: Yes

reference areas are: 1980 Mountain Shrub RA, 1981 Sagebrush RA, and 1984 Aspen RA.
All la1.tds reclaimed prior to 2008 and grazinglands (grasslands) reclaimed post -2008 on
the original permit area shall be compared to weighted parameters from the 1980
Mountain Shrub RA (55% weight) and the 1981 Sagebrush RA (45% weight) in
accordance with 4.15.7(4)(b). All post -2008 lands on the original permit area that evolve
into a Sagebrush Steppe community* will be directly compared to the 1981 Sagebrush
RA.
In the new South Taylor (PR -02) permit area all reclaimed post -2008 grazinglands
(grasslands) shall be compared to weighted parameters from the 1980 Mountain Shrub
RA (52% weight), the 1981 Sagebrush RA (25% weight), and the 1984 Aspen RA (23%
weight) in accordance with 4.15.7(4)(b). All post -2008 lands on the new South Taylor
(PR -02) permit area that evolve into a Sagebrush Steppe community* will be directly
compared to the 1981 Sagebrush RA.
4.15.8 Revegetation Success Criteria
Colowyo will meet the requirements of this Subsection to insure that the post- mining
vegetation will be adequate for final bond release. As delineated under Subsections
4.15.7 and ,2.05.4, Colowyo will utilize established reference areas (see Section 4.15.7
above) for the purpose of comparing vegetation information between the reclaimed area
and the undisturbed area for the variables of ground cover and production. For the
variables of woody plant density and species diversity, Colowyo shall compare
revegetated area parameters against defined standards detailed later in this section. Data
to be used in these comparisons must be from statistically adequate sampling (where
necessary) as indicated in Rule 4.15.11. In instances where grazingland targeted
reclamation areas exhibit the characteristics of the sagebrush steppe areas and can meet
the release standards for core or ecotonal sagebrush steppe, Colowyo will seek release
and credit for the creation of those areas towards fulfillment of the minimum habitat
development requirement post -2008 (450 acres). In the unlikely but not impossible event
that areas targeted for sagebrush steppe display community characteristics that will not
meet the sagebrush steepe area release criteria but do for the grazingland criteria,
Colowyo will designate those acres as grazingland. Colowyo will have to specifically
designate the location of both grazingland and sagebrush steppe areas prior to the
initiation of phase III bond release data collection. For descriptive purposes, "evolved"
sagebrush steppe areas refer to lands originally seeded to grazingland that exhibit
sufficient community characteristics of the sagebrush steppe community to be fully
released as either core or ecotonal areas. Areas defined as "targeted" sagebrush steppe
are by definition the areas originally seeded to the sagebrush steppe plant community that
exhibit the characteristics of that community and meet either the core or ecotonal
requirement for full release.
Areas that evolve into a sagebrush steppe community cannot be determined with certainty until several years
following seeding,. emergence, and maturation of shrubs. Emergence of this community may occur in both areas where
sagebrush steppe i:s targeted as well as those grassland targeted areas= that receive significant sagebrush. seed. Airy
sagebrush steppe that evolves in either of these areas will be delineated with GPS techniques, sampled accordingly, and
tested against the 1981 Sagebrush RA.
4.15 -22 Revision Date: 6/21/11
Revision No.: TR -84