PROJ00221

• Contract/PO #: FS0017X
• Contractor Name: Ouray, City of
• Contract Type: Loan
• Water District: 0
• County: Ouray
• Loan Projects - Doc Type: Feasibility Study

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:was developed from the following sources: a list of candidate, proposed, and
listed threatened and endangered species and species of concern received from
the FWS (see Attachment B); a list of State threatened and endangered species
from the Colorado Division of Wildlife (see Attachment C); and a review of
literature on species distribution and habitat requirements. The resulting list is
shown in Table 1, which also gives information on habitat requirements and
distribution of special status species in the project area.

Of the species listed in the table, eight are Federally listed as endangered,
two are threatened, one is proposed threatened, and one is a species of concern.
Species of concern have no formal protection under the Federal Endangered
Species Act, but are given special consideration because they could be proposed
or listed in the near future. Of the Federally listed and proposed species, the four
which are known to occur in the vicinity of the project site are the bald eagle,
American peregrine falcon, whooping crane, and North American lynx. The other
species are unlikely to occur in the project area due to lack of suitable habitat
(Ireland, 1998; Ono and Wagner, 1983; Sogge, et aI., 1997; U.S. Department of
Commerce, 1993).

Bald eaqle. The bald eagle (Ha/iaeetus /eucocepha/us) is listed as a Federally
and State-threatened species. Historically, bald eagles have used a wide variety of
habitat types and nesTing materials. Eagle nests are typically found in multistoried
stands with old-growth components. They are always found near bodies of water
which support a sufficient prey base. At least three important factors are thought
to influence bald eagle selection of wintering habitat: (1) the nearby presence of
productive forage areas, (2) seclusion from human disturbance, and (3) the
presence of dense stands of timber for diurnal perching and nocturnal roosting
(U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 1996).

Historically, only two or three pairs of bald eagles nested within the State,
but the nesting pairs have recently increased to eight or nine each year. Colorado
is also a very popular wintering area, with an annual mid-winter population count
of 600 to 800 eagles. The San Luis Valley, in the southern part of the State, is
particularly desirable due to an abundant supply of fish and waterfowl from open
water as well as its high population of rabbits and rodents.

American oereqrine falcon. The American peregrine falcon (Fa/co peregrinus
anatum) is listed as a Federally endangered species. Peregrines nest on cliffs,
usually in mountainous areas on or near rivers or lakes (FWS, 1984). They once
bred in every state except Hawaii and Alaska.

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