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In 2010, Snowcap requested Cedar Creek re- evaluate the vegetative cover, production, species <br />diversity, and woody plant density attained following multiple remediation attempts to combat cheatgrass <br />invasion of reclaimed areas, and to compare those values against the currently permitted success criteria <br />and standards. Per Cedar Creek's recommendations based on that evaluation, modest revisions to <br />success criteria and standards were proposed and approved to facilitate a reasonable solution to a <br />problem that currently has no ecological resolution. Extensive discussion of these revisions to the <br />success criteria are presented in TR -60 in Snowcap's reclamation permit. Criteria and standards from TR- <br />60 are summarized as follows (changes /clarifications are in boldface): <br />• Achieve 90% of the perennial vegetation cover of the approved reference area. <br />• Achieve 90% of the total herbaceous production of the approved reference area. <br />• Achieve woody plant density of 800 live shrubs per acre. <br />• Achieve total perennial cool- season grass species' relative cover of >_0.5% with at least two <br />species present in the reclamation (observed). <br />• Achieve total perennial warm - season grass species' relative cover of >0.5% with at least two <br />species present in the reclamation (observed). <br />• Achieve total perennial forb and suffrutescent (sub- shrub) species' relative cover of ?0.5% with <br />at least two species present in the reclamation (observed). <br />• And, no reclaimed area shall have a single species that represents greater than 70% relative <br />cover, with the exception of annual grasses. The annual grass component shall not exceed 70% <br />relative cover unless the annual grass component in the corresponding reference area also <br />exceeds 70 %. In such instances, the relative cover of the annual grass component of the <br />reclaimed area shall not exceed the relative cover of the annual grass component in the <br />reference area by more than 5 %. <br />Cedar Creek Associates, Inc. 8 Snowcap Mine - 2011 <br />Phase III Bond Release Evaluation - Year 1 <br />