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<br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br /> <br />nlO!O <br /> <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br /> <br />No confirmed sightings of black-footed ferrets have occurred <br />in western Colorado in over 20 years. The ferret occurred <br /> <br /> <br />historically 1n the State but is now very rare if present at <br /> <br /> <br />all. The Colorado Division of Wildlife has cited five areas <br /> <br /> <br />in Colorado that could be possible sites for breeding popu- <br /> <br /> <br />lations of ferrets; the nearest of these areas to the study <br /> <br /> <br />area is about 20 miles east of Delta. Critical habitat for <br /> <br />1 <br /> <br />the ferret has not been designated. <br /> <br />In addition to the above, two species in the study area are <br />considered to be threatened or endangered by tbe State of <br />Colorado. These species are the whooping crane and greater <br /> <br />sandhill crane, both migrants, and the river otter, a resi- <br /> <br />dent species recently reintroduced to the Gunnison River <br />1 <br />just upstream of the study area. <br /> <br />Velletation <br /> <br />Two endangered plant species, the Uinta Basin hookless cac- <br />tus and the Mesa Verde cactus, and one threatened species, <br /> <br />the spineless hedgehog cactus, may exist in or near the <br /> <br />study area. However, during vegetation mapping and other <br /> <br />inventories conducted for Lower Gunnison Basin Unit investi- <br /> <br />gations, none of these species was recorded. It is unlikely <br /> <br />that tbese species would exist in the area due to habitat <br /> <br />preferences which are dominated by a requirement for dry <br />1 <br />conditions. <br /> <br />E-24 <br />