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<br />11/'\2' 4 t::n <br />O~, .._ '.J:) <br /> <br />c. Alternative Three <br /> <br />The major changes to wildlife habitats brought about Alternative <br />Three are sham in Table IV-17. <br /> <br />The aspen wildlife habitats are changed by Alternative Three by <br />511 acres, IllOuntain grassland by 960 acres, Douglas fir by 144 <br />acres, spruce-fir by 378 acres, wet meadow by 396 acres and barren <br />by 605 acres. <br /> <br />This shows that 47 fewer net acres of aspen habitat are altered in <br />Alternative Three than in Alternative Two, 59 fewer net acres of <br />mountain grassland are created and 12 fewer net acres of <br />spruce-fir are altered in Alternative Three than in Alternative <br />Two. (See Vegetation section for discussion of net acres versus <br />gross acres affected in the back bowl area). <br /> <br />3. Wild] ife <br /> <br />a. Alternatives One. Two and Three <br /> <br />The following applies to all three alternatives: <br /> <br />There will be an effect upon the hunting habitat of tile <br />peregrine falcon. Scme of this effect may be beneficial in <br />that the new habitats created by the golf course, gravel pit <br />ponds and residential housing units may increase tile <br />diversity of passerine and water shore. birds, which would <br />irnprOlle the prey base for the peregrine. There will also be <br />sane adVerse effects on the peregrine brought about by <br />disturbance and harassment factors. It has not yet been <br />fully determined how well the peregrine falcon tolerates the <br />presence of man and his activities. 1n several instances <br />they have habituated to extensive presence of man, buildings, <br />vehicles and even city situations. Regionally, this has <br />occurred near Hermosa Cliffs north of Durango, Colorado, when <br />a pair of peregrines had habituated to the construction of <br />Tarnarron resort and its associated buildings, roads and golf <br />course developllent. There are also numerous instances in <br />other locations where peregrines have left their eyries <br />because of light to moderate human disturbance. Peregrine <br />falcons have been hacked at a site above the private land <br />portion of the Wolf Creek Valley project. It is anticipated <br />that reoccupancy of this site by hacked peregrines will be <br />more likely than by non-hacked birds because the hacked birds <br />should habituate to the presence of humans better than birds <br />that have had no previous contact with man. Mitigation <br />measures proposed by the proponent have been designed to <br />decrease the human harassment possibilities to the hack site <br />presently in use. <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />201 <br />