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iii iiiiiiiiiiiii iii <br />INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM <br />TO: KENT GORHAM / <br />FROM: JANET BIMJS J <br />SUBJECT: BATON CRE , C, 2055 <br />DATE: 11/04/1999 <br />CC: DAN 1~RNANDEZ <br />I have reviewed the Raton Creek Mine permit (C-82-055) for applicability of the reclamation success <br />standazds. The landowner has voiced concern regazding reclamation success standazd being too <br />stringent on this site. I reviewed the "pre-permit" vegetation sampling data, and the soils capability <br />data for this site. There is no published NRCS soil survey available for Las Animas County. Soil <br />capability class is based upon information provided by the NRCS (formerly SCS). <br />Current approved reclamation success standards for the Raton Creel Mine aze: <br />Vegetative cover = 25% <br />Herbaceous production = 3001bs./acres <br />Woody Plant density = 500 stems/acre <br />Diversity =Grasses at least 60% of total vegetative cover with no one grass species exceeding 50% of <br />grass cover value.. Forbs shall comprise at least 10% of the total vegetative cover. Shrubs shall <br />comprise 5% of the total vegetative cover. <br />Approved Post-mining land-use is Rangeland. (permit page 533) <br />The soils on the site are primarily Louviers and Rombo <br />NRCS (formerly SCS) Soil suitability description, found in page 211 in the permit, states that average <br />annual production on the Louviers soil type is 400 lbs. air-dried vegetation. The potential plant <br />community would consist of Pinyon, and Juniper, with an understory of Indian ricegrass, Sideoats <br />grams, muttongrass, and Little bluegrass. <br />Rombo soils would have a potential average annual production of 1150 lbs. Per acre. The potential <br />vegetative community on the Rombo soils would be composed of Big bluestem, Little bluestem, <br />Juniper, Western wheatgrass, and Needle-and-thread grass. <br />Pre-permit sampling resulted in 30.9% vegetative cover in the Pinyon-Juniper community (this <br />includes cover contributed by trees and forbs) and 39.3% vegetative cover in the bottomland. <br />Productivity was 269 lbs./acre dry herbaceous production in the Pinyon juniper community and 1061 <br />lbs./acre dry herbaceous production in the bottomland. <br />