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1.3 Background and Standards for Success <br />The following section describes the known reclamation procedures utilized on each individual unit at <br />Snowcap. The Revegetation History Table on the following page identifies each unit, the year of <br />reclamation, any known reclamation procedures, seed mixes, and the corresponding reference areas to <br />which revegetation will be compared. <br />Portions of the Cameo Refuse Disposal Area's (CRDA) No. 1 and No. 2 were initially seeded in July <br />and December of 1994 with subsequent seeding efforts on the remaining areas in April, 2002. The 1994 <br />revegetated portions of CRDA No. 1 and No. 2 were estimated at 12.1 and 12.0 acres, respectively, with <br />about 14.8 and 20.2 acres revegetated in 2002, respectively. The South Fan Area is comprised of a little <br />more than an acre of moderately sloping revegetation that has a predominately western aspect. This <br />area (East unit and West Borrow unit) was graded, seeded and mulched in the fall of 2000. The No. 2 <br />West Portals Area is comprised of four small units that total less than an acre. These are areas of gentle <br />to moderately sloping revegetation that have a predominately western aspect and were graded, seeded <br />and mulched in the fall of 2000 (with one of the four areas completed in the fall of 2001). Two of the <br />four areas received supplemental seeding in October 2005. Approximately 2.5 acres of the Cameo <br />Borrow Area No.1 was hydro- seeded in 1994 with Seed Mix 10 and another 0.2 acres were seeded in <br />April of 2002 with Seed Mix 13 Upland. The North Decline Mine Dewatering System, Cameo Borrow Area <br />No.2, and Cameo Topsoil Piles were hydro- seeded in April of 2002 with Seed Mix 13 Upland. In <br />November of 2002, Seed Mix 13 Upland was used to: 1) hand -seed the Substation B area; 2) hydro -seed <br />the Roadside RDA and Roadside South Portal Upper Diversion Ditch; and 3) drill -seed the North Portal <br />Facilities and Roadside Refuse Borrow Area. The UTL- Conveyor area was drill seeded in July of 2003 with <br />Seed Mix 8 lowland. <br />According to permit documents, success criteria and standards that were initially established for the <br />Snowcap mine were as follows: <br />• 90% of the ground cover of the approved reference area. <br />• 90% of the production of the approved reference area. <br />• Woody plant density of 800 live shrubs per acre. <br />• One perennial cool- season grass species with >3% relative cover. <br />• Total perennial warm - season grass species >_ 3% relative cover. <br />• Total perennial forb species >_ 3% relative cover. <br />• No reclaimed area shall have a single species that represents > 40% relative cover. <br />At the request of Snowcap, Cedar Creek evaluated the species diversity success standards during <br />2001. Per Cedar Creek's recommendations from that evaluation, given consultations with the Colorado <br />Division of Minerals and Geology (CDMG now CDRMS), new species diversity success standards were <br />eventually adopted in 2005. They were as follows: <br />Cedar Creek Associates, Inc. 6 Snowcap Mine - 2011 <br />Phase III Bond Release Evaluation - Year 1 <br />