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INTRODUCTION <br />The Wyoming Environmental Quality Act at § 35- 11- 415(bXvii) requires mine <br />operators to "Replace as nearly as possible, native or superior self regenerating <br />vegetation on land affected, as may be required in the approved reclamation plan" <br />(WEQA 1998). The Land Quality Division of the Wyoming Department of <br />Environmental Quality promulgated Hiles and regulations in 1996 specifying a shrub <br />standard to be achieved as part of the revegetation success requirements for coal mines <br />seeking reclamation bond release. Chapter 4 of the Rules and Regulations, <br />"Environmental Protection Performance Standards for Surface Coal Mining Operations," <br />at Section 2 (dXi) requires the operator to "...establish on all affected lands a diverse, <br />permanent vegetative cover of the same seasonal variety native to the area or a mixture of <br />species that will support the approved postmining land use in a manner consistent with <br />the approved reclamation plan. The cover shall be self renewing and capable of <br />stabilizing the soil." Section 2 (d)(x)(E) further requires "The post mining density, <br />composition, and distribution of shrubs shall be based upon site specific evaluation of <br />premining vegetation and wildlife use. Shrub reclamation procedures shall be conducted <br />through the application of best technology currently available." Finally, Subsection 2 <br />(d)(x)(E)(I) states "Except where a lesser density is justified from premining conditions <br />in accordance with Appendix A, at least 20% of the eligible lands shall be restored to <br />shrub patches supporting an average density of one shrub per square meter. Patches shall <br />be no less than .05 acres each and shall be arranged in a mosaic that will optimize habitat <br />interspersion and edge effect....This standard shall apply to all lands affected after <br />August 6, 1996" (LQD 1998). Although big sagebrush (Artemesia tridentata) and its <br />subspecies are not specifically mentioned in the above cited requirements, because of the <br />requirements to replace or restore the vegetation existing prior to the mining disturbance, <br />the replacement of big sagebrush is specified by default <br />The coal mining industry has included sagebrush in its revegetation efforts for the <br />past decade with mixed success. Schuman and Booth (1998) and others have suggested <br />the cause for the mixed results may be low seedling vigor, competition from herbaceous <br />species, altered soil conditions, and reduced levels of arbuscular mycorrhizae in the <br />reclaimed mine soils. <br />RECENT BIG SAGEBRUSH ESTABLISHMENT RESEARCH <br />The Abandoned Coal Mine Land Research Program (ACMLRP), administered by <br />the University of Wyoming and funded by the Abandoned Mine Land Program of the <br />Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, was established in 1991 to sponsor <br />research for abandoned and active coal mine reclamation. The ACMLRP has funded four <br />research projects on big sagebrush establishment, with emphasis on the subspecies <br />wyomingensis. Four major studies have been undertaken since 1993, three of which have <br />been completed and one is still in progress. <br />One study, Climatic Control of Sagebrush Survival for Mined -Land Reclamation <br />(Perryman et al. 1999), looked into climatic and environmental factor relationships with <br />