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iii iiiiiiiiuiiiiii ~~~ 0~~ enrirornneeml scientists mrA eagieeers 50 South Steele Street, Suite 720 Denver, Colorado 80209 voice (303) 393-6701 fax (303)393-6704 August 31, 1992 Susan Morrison Colorado Division of Minerals and Geology 1313 Sherman Denver, CO 80203 Deaz Susan: RECEIVE ~~ SEP 101992 DIVISiUt~~ Ur MINERALS ~: ~iEOLi)%v This letter accompanies two copies of our report of the 1992 vegetation monitoring at Sun Coal Company's Meadows No. 1 mine near Hayden, Colorado. As you will see from the report, the proposed sagebrush/grass reference area which has been proposed in the latest application for technical revision was sampled this year in lieu of the mountain shrub reference area at the Seneca II mine. This reflects Sun Coal's intention of going for bond release at this time only for the major portion of the reclaimed area which is owned by Grassy Creek Coal Co., using the sagebrush/grassceference area which was the subject of the previous Technical Revision No. 12. We do not believe we can achieve shrub densities on the Eilts property in the neaz term which would allow going for bond release at this time. For this reason, woody plant density was not sampled on the Eilts property this year. Also enclosed are two copies of revised permit application pages (pp. 333, 334, 335, and 381) which reflect changes necessitated by the adoption of Technical Revision 12 and your subsequent response letter dated July 27, 1992. The revised pages specify that the sagebtush/grass reference area would be used as a standard for comparison with the Grassy Creek Coal Co. property only, and that the Seneca II reference area would remain as a comparative standard for reclaimed land owned by Mr. Eilts. I have also changed the level of statistical confidence required for determining revegetation success from 80 percent to 90 percent and the description of the method for sampling herbaceous production as using a 0.5-meter squaze quadrat which is in keeping with the method which we have been using for the past several years at this mine. The revised pages clearly show all additions [in italics] and all deletions [itt-stfike- tln3t]. Upon your review of these permit application revisions, I will produce these revised pages incorporating the approved changes in final form. I will also send you a map and more precise description of the location of the sagebrush/grass reference area in the next couple of weeks.