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conveyor disturbance occurs, the entire existing 8 acre sagebrush reference area will be utilized for <br />sampling. <br />Since any remaining portions of the sagebrush reference area are located on the same slope and <br />aspect and has similar soils as the original reference area, it is assumed that the remaining portions <br />would be representative of the existing 8 acre reference area. To verify this and further support the <br />appropriateness of using the approximately minimal area remaining as the sagebrush reference area, <br />t -tests comparing cover and production sample data from the 8 acre original reference area to sample <br />data from the to the subset data for the remaining area were conducted. The data sets examined <br />were from sampling conducted from 1997 through 2011 (note: sampling was not conducted for <br />production in 2009 and 2011). These data are contained in annual monitoring reports submitted to <br />CDRMS for the above years. The tests were two- sample t -tests assuming equal variance. The results <br />of these analyses are shown in Figure 1, Two - sample t- Values for Cover and Figure 2, Two - sample t- <br />Values for Production. As shown in Figure 1 and 2, no statistically significant difference between the <br />eastern half of the reference area and the whole reference area is indicated for cover or production in <br />any of the fifteen years evaluated. <br />Reference Areas. The reference areas were monitored during the period of extended liability to <br />more accurately gauge average cover and production for the various community types and <br />evaluate annual climatic affects on the vegetation. Monitoring will no longer be carried out as <br />sampling efforts will be shifted to bond release activities in order to provide a basis for <br />evaluating and testing for success of revegetation efforts. Sampling results for reference area <br />bond release sampling will be included with Phase II and Phase III applications. <br />Reclamation Schedule <br />Introduction. Seneca II Mine has been undergoing final reclamation for a number of years and is <br />currently undergoing various phases of bond release. TR -37 (04/05) updated the status of the lands <br />prior to the submittal of the initial Phase I bond release application. The following paragraphs <br />present a discussion of the plans and methods used to bring the disturbed mine area to current <br />conditions. <br />This section presents a timetable for each major phase of the reclamation plan and projected <br />reclamation schedules for the Seneca II Mine permit area and lands under support facilities and <br />structures. Facilities such as roads and sediment ponds that are not approved as elements of the <br />TR -52 13 -28 06/12 <br />