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production on the Irrigated Pasture Reclaimed Areas must possess a "suitable forage <br />quality" and all of these monitoring efforts document that the percentage of "suitable <br />forage" for all monitoring years exceeds 75 percent. <br />3. Continued: Cropland, previously mined lands or areas to be developed for industrial <br />or residential uses, and prime farmlands will be evaluated against the standards required <br />by the approved permit. Refer to Rule 4.15.9 for cropland success criteria, 4.15.10 for <br />previously mined lands and areas to be developed for industrial or residential use, and <br />4.25.5(3) for prime farmlands. <br />Response: There is no Cropland or any of these other land uses or types of reclamation <br />associated with this Bond Release Application request, therefore, these criteria do no <br />apply. <br />4. Post Mine Land Use Achievement: <br />A discussion and documentation that the approved post- mining land uses have been <br />achieved. If livestock grazing is a component of the post- mining land use, but grazing has <br />not been conducted during the liability period, the application should include a discussion <br />of the utility of the reclaimed land for livestock grazing, (e.g. forage species composition, <br />palatability and productively, presence of poisonous or noxious plants, livestock access to <br />forage areas, availability of water, etc.). If wildlife habitat is a component of the post - <br />mining land use, the application should include a discussion of the utility of the reclaimed <br />land as wildlife habitat (e.g., suitability for cover, food, winter or summer range, <br />breeding grounds, water resources, etc.). <br />Response: Documentation that the approved post- mining land use of Irrigated Pasture has <br />been achieved for all of these bond release areas is proven by the fact that the plant cover <br />and desirable forage production on these reclaimed sites, exceeds that found on the <br />undisturbed Irrigated Pasture Reference Area. The increased availability and utility of the <br />higher quality forage species which has been planted on these areas, along with their <br />higher palatability levels documents that these areas have clearly satisfied the permitted <br />post- mining land use requirements. Evidence that the revegetation of these areas has been <br />successful is clearly documented in discussions with the existing and neighboring <br />landowners, associated with the proposed NHN mine site and from those adjacent to the <br />existing NH2 Mine, wherein they universially report that they want their current irrigated <br />pasture areas to be as good as is the current NH2 Irrigated Pasture Reclamation. <br />Additional evidence of the successfulness of these revgetation efforts is found in the <br />Peabody 1987 baseline vegetation study of these identical Irrigated Pasture areas, as <br />sampled before they were disturbed. In 1987, Peabody did not use a Reference Area <br />revegetation success standard, and instead used a technical standard approach. <br />Examination of their Table 5, Mean Cover (Percent) and Frequency Values, for the <br />Irrigated Pasture Vegetation Type, Nucla East Study Area, 1987 documents that the pre - <br />disturbance average allowable plant cover on this specific vegetation type averaged 71.5 <br />SL -14 03DEC12.wpd 53 <br />