2012-09-06_REPORT - C1980006 (2)

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Introduction At the request of Mr. George Patterson, General Mine Manager of the Kerr Coal Company's (KCC), Marr Mine, Phase III bond release revegetation sampling was conducted during the summer of 2009 on various reclaimed areas and corresponding reference areas located at the Marr Mine and Kerr Tipple areas located near Walden, Jackson County, Colorado. Revegetation monitoring was conducted two reclaimed areas consisting of the 1999 Reclamation Block and at the Kerr Tipple. According to the 2008 Annual Reclamation Report Map, the 1999 Reclamation Block consists of two areas located to the east and southeast of the old mine maintenance and office building and contains a total of 8.2935 acres. At the Kerr Tipple, there is a total of 3.7035 acres of 1999 reclamation that was sampled. The Alkali Sagebrush Reference Area as shown on Map 18, Kerr Mine Area Vegetation Map, which corresponds to the only pre- mining vegetation type associated with 1999 Reclamation Block was also sampled. Since this is the only pre- mining vegetation type associated with this reclaimed area, the Alkali Sagebrush Reference Area was sampled as the revegetation success standard. At the Kerr Tipple site, the Kerr Tipple Reference area shown on Permit Map 19, Kerr Tipple Area Vegetation Map was sampled to compare the revegetation success for the tipple reclamation. The locations of these specific reclamation blocks are depicted on the Kerr Coal Company's Annual Reclamation Report Maps and are reproduced on the enclosed vegetation transect location maps. This revegetation monitoring effort was prepared with the intention of satisfying the initial revegetation monitoring requirements and the first year of the final two years of the Phase III monitoring requirement. Mr. Kent Crofts of IME, who has conducted numerous previous vegetation sampling efforts at the Marr Mine, and numerous other mine sites in northwest Colorado in the past 32 years, directly supervised all field investigations. Assisting in this sampling effort was Mr. Eli Peterson, who acted as the field GPS technician and was responsible for determining all of the transect locations using the Trimble Model Geo XH Positioning System. Both individuals performed all of the field sampling and data analysis. Assisting in the analysis of the field data was Ms. Loraine Crofts who weighted the plant samples and assisted with summarizing the field data sheets. Methods Maps, in both electronic and hard paper format of all of the reclamation blocks and reference areas sampled in this monitoring effort were supplied by Mr. George Patterson, General Mine Manager of Energy Fuels Coal Inc., who also delineated to the crews in the field, the exact extent of the reclamation efforts at the Marr Mine. The specific sampling methodologies used in this evaluation are those found in the Division's "Guidelines with Land Use and Vegetation Requirements of the Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Board for Coal Mining" issued in June of 1988 and the "Guidelines Regarding Selected Coal Mine Bond Release Issues" issued