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4.0 SUCCESS EVALUATION <br />Success evaluations involve a direct comparison (and a reverse null statistical test) of appropriate <br />parameters for each variable of interest. Comparisons are made directly with either the reference area <br />parameters or the permitted standards. <br />4.1 Ground Cover and Production <br />In the case of ground cover and production, comparisons are directly made against reference area <br />data of the same year. In 2011, Cedar Creek was able to make direct comparisons between the <br />revegetated units included in this Phase III bond release evaluation and the respective reference areas <br />with regard to the variables of ground cover and production. Chart 1 and Chart 5 were developed to <br />provide a quick overview of the success of these efforts in comparison to reference area based criteria. <br />Chart 1 and Table 1 exhibit the results from ground cover sampling, and reveal that the Phase III <br />bond release areas significantly exceed the reference area comparison with 25.0% and 22.2% perennial <br />cover for the Greasewood and Shadscale Comparison Areas, respectively, versus 11.9% and 7.7% <br />perennial cover (90% of Reference Area perennial cover) for the Greasewood and Shadscale Reference <br />Areas, respectively. Table 1 as well as Table 5 and Chart 9 exhibit results from production sampling in <br />2011. This chart reveals that Phase III current perennial production (182.0 and 257.7 perennial pounds <br />per acre for Greasewood and Shadscale Comparison Areas, respectively) is substantially higher than the <br />success standards of 93.4 and 83.4 perennial pounds per acre on the Greasewood and Shadscale <br />Reference Areas, respectively (90% of 103.8 lbs / ac and 92.7 lbs. /ac, respectively). <br />In Summary, Phase III areas addressed by this document strongly surpass the success <br />standards for ground cover and current perennial production. <br />4.2 Diversity <br />The approved diversity standards for Snowcap Mine are to achieve at least 0.5% total relative cover <br />with at least two species present in the reclamation for each of the following lifeforms: perennial cool - <br />season grasses, perennial warm - season grasses, and perennial forbs and sub -shrub species. As indicated <br />on Table 1 and Charts 2 — 4, evaluation of diversity on the Phase III bond release areas revealed 11 <br />perennial cool- season grasses contributing 1.1% relative cover in Greasewood Revegetation and 18 <br />perennial cool- season grasses contributing 12.7% relative cover in Shadscale Revegetation. There were <br />3 and 4 perennial warm - season grasses in the Greasewood and Shadscale Revegetation Areas, <br />respectively, contributing 1.4% and 5.3% relative cover, respectively. Likewise, there were 12 and 20 <br />perennial forbs and sub - shrubs in the Greasewood and Shadscale Revegetation Areas, respectively, <br />Cedar Creek Associates, Inc. 21 Snowcap Mine - 2011 <br />Phase III Bond Release Evaluation - Year 1 <br />