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Surface coal mine operators in Wyoming must revegetate disturbed areas in order to achieve bond release. Reclaimed plant communities must meet specified criteria that are indicative of successful vegetation establishment. These criteria involve standards for total vegetation cover, total ground cover, plant production, shrub density, and species diversity. For some variables, reclaimed areas are compared to an undisturbed native community. Alternatively, the measured value from the reclamation may be compared to a technical standard (a fixed number), which is typically based on pre-mine conditions. In Wyoming, reclaimed vegetation cover and production are compared to cover and production on reference areas1, shrub density is compared to a technical standard, and species diversity requirements are not yet standardized. The regulatory authority for coal mining in Wyoming, the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, Land Quality Division (LQD), is developing technical standards for species diversity, and for cover and production in some parts of the state. Regardless of the type of comparison, statistically valid tests must be used on quantitative data to determine if the reclaimed areas have successfully revegetated. Under current regulations, mine operators must first determine that they have sampled the reclamatio