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sii iiiiiiiiiiiii iii <br />999 <br />Colowyo Coal Company, L. P. <br />5731 State Highway 13 <br />Meeker, Colorado 81641 <br />(970) 824-1572 <br />(970) 824-1598 FAX <br />• James A. Kiger <br />Senior Environmental Engineer <br />~~CEIVED <br />JUL 7 2000 <br />~Ir y~~, ~„arrl2rals &Geolo4YJury 6, 2000 <br />Mr. Byron Walker <br />Environmental Protection Specialist <br />Colorado Division of Minerals and Geology <br />215 Centennial Building <br />1313 Sherman Street <br />Denver. Colorado 80203 <br />//~ Kennecott <br />~ . Energy <br />l ~ ,-ter <br />Colotvyo Coal Company L.2 ;o~~,~: <br />Re: Colowyo Coal Co. L.P. (C-81-079) <br />Phase II Bond Release, Vegetation Sampling Approaches <br />Dear Mr. Walker: <br />Last week, during the June 22, 2000 close-out meeting for the CDMG minesite reclamation tour <br />I discussed with Janet Binns of your office Colowyo's intention to conduct a Phase II bond <br />release sampling program in July, 2000. <br />We discussed the methodologies and sampling approaches Colowyo will employ during the <br />• sampling program. Janet requested that we follow-up with a written description of the <br />anticipated program so that any uncertainties of the program can be resolved. The following <br />information summarizes the sampling program. <br />Vegetation samaling - Revesetated Areas <br />A 250' x 250' grid system will be utilized to overlay a map of the reclaimed areas to be <br />sampled resulting in a series of random intersecting gridline coordinates. Areas located in the <br />West Pit, East Pit and Section 16 Pit will be incorporated as one bond release block and grid <br />intersection observation points will be sampled at random throughout all of these revegetated <br />areas. The gridline coordinate points located in all three pits will each have an equal chance of <br />being selected for vegetative sampling. See the highlighted areas on the attached 1999 Annual <br />Reclamation Report Map for details regarding the extent of the sample block. The Division will <br />note that the area selected for the Phase II is the same block selected for the Phase I release <br />approved by the Division on Apri127, 1998. <br />Using a hand held GPS these random observation points will be located in the field. We <br />anticipate starting with a minimum of 15 points and completing the sampling upon meeting <br />applicable sample adequacy requirements. <br />A 50 meter transect will be extended in apre-selected, random compass direction from the <br />• located point. A ten point frame will be used at ten randomly selected points along the transect. <br />First hits of herbaceous cover will be recorded. If the first hit is a grass and a subsequent hit is <br />a perennial forb, only the forb hit will be recorded. Noxious weeds will be counted but not used <br />