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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I Deposits containing m0re than 250 identifiable minerals have been located in the South Platte River basin. Metals that occur in the basin include arsenic, cadmium, copper, gold, lead, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, silver, tungsten, uranium, and zinc. Non-metallic minerals include barite, limestone, pegmatite, pumices, silica sands, and volcanic glass (Engineering Consultants, Inc. and Toups Corporation, 1974). Natural gas, petroleum, and coal represent important energy resources in the South Platte River basin. Presently, oil and gas production occurs in the basin, primarily between Denver and Julesburg (Engineering Consultants, Inc. and Toups Corporation, 1974). Although coal production in the basin had ceased until recently, 2 major coal regions are located in the South Platte River basin (Kirkham and Ladwig, 1979). The southern part of the Cheyenne Basin, covering 1800 square miles, extends into Larimer and Weld Counties, Colorado, in the northern part of the South Platte River basin. The Denver Basin (extending over an area of approximately 5700 square miles) extends eastward from the Front Range to near Limon and northward from northern El Paso County to near Greeley. Over 130 million tons of coal were produced from these coal basins from 1883 through 1978 (Kirkham and Ladwig, 1979). A third small coal basin, called the South Park Field, is located in Park County, outside of the study area (Figure 1). Fish and Wildlife Introduction This biological assessment provides a broad, regional overview of ecological conditions in the South Platte River basin. Eighteen major vegetation types located within 5 broad ecologic life zones have been delineated in the basin (Dr. Walter S. Odening, personal communication, Woodward-Clyde Consultants, ~pril 1981). Characteristic assemblages of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and invertebrates are associated with the various habitats present in the basin. These species -9-