|
New Elk Coal Company LLC
<br />December 30, 2012
<br />Page 3
<br />of the inventory update, along with the state - threatened burrowing owl. The black- footed ferret,
<br />although extirpated from Colorado, remains on the federal threatened and endangered species list
<br />for Las Animas County, and therefore is included in this inventory update. Canada lynx (federally
<br />threatened and state - endangered), New Mexico meadow jumping mouse (federal candidate), North
<br />American wolverine (federal candidate and state - endangered) were added to the federal threatened
<br />and endangered species list for Animas County since the time of the original inventory, and are
<br />therefore considered in this inventory update. The species of federal or state concern detailed above
<br />(Baird's sparrow, ferruginous hawk, mountain plover, swift fox, Texas homed lizard, and speckled
<br />chub) have no current legal status under the U.S. Endangered Species Act or the Colorado
<br />Nongame, Endangered, or Threatened Species Conservation Act, and are therefore eliminated from
<br />consideration in this inventory update.
<br />Other state - listed species screened for this update, but eliminated because their documented ranges
<br />or distributions lie well outside the vicinity of the mine include whooping crane (a casual migrant
<br />recorded in Mesa, Delta, and Gunnison counties, and the San Luis Valley), least tern (an
<br />uncommon summer resident in the Arkansas River Valley and migrant in Colorado's northeastern
<br />plains and west - central valleys2), plains sharp - tailed grouse (known only from Douglas County in
<br />Colorado), piping plover (recorded in several eastern Colorado counties, but not Las Animas
<br />County), lesser prairie chicken (known only from Baca, Kiowa, and Prowers counties2), boreal toad
<br />(no records for Las Animas County2,3), Rio Grande sucker, plains minnow (documented in only two
<br />eastern Colorado watershed units4), suckermouth minnow (found only in Mississippi River basin and
<br />other Gulf Coast drainages in eastern Colorado), northern redbelly dace (documented in the upper
<br />South Platte River basins), southern redbelly dace (documented in the upper Arkansas River
<br />headwaters near Canon City and Pueblo'), brassy minnow (documented in the Republican River
<br />and South Platte River basins) , and common shiner (documented in the South Platte River basin 2).
<br />Table 1, below, lists the T &E species considered by this inventory, summarizes their habitat
<br />requirements, and indicates whether suitable habitat for each species is present within the permit
<br />boundary. Habitat descriptions and occurrence determinations summarized in Table 1 are based
<br />on professional experience, personal communication with experts, or published resources,
<br />including but not limited to the following: Colorado Breeding Bird Atlas,$ government
<br />memoranda and species profiles,9 Mammals of Colorado,10 and CPW habitat maps."
<br />2 CPW. 2012 Natural Diversity Information Source. [Online]. http:// ndis. nrel.colostate.edutwildlife.asp [12/30/2012]
<br />3 Hammerson, G.A. 1999. Amphibians and Reptiles in Colorado. 2"' Edition. Denver: University Press of Colorado and Colorado
<br />Division of Wildlife.
<br />4 Rees, D. E., R.J. Carr, and W.J. Miller. 2005. Plains Minnow (Hybognathus placitus): A Technical Conservation Assessment.
<br />[Online]. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region. http: / /www.fs. fed. us /r2/projects/scp /assessments /plainsminnow.pdf
<br />[12/30/2012].
<br />5 U.S. Geological Survey. 2012. Fact Sheet: Suckermouth Minnow. http: / /nas.er. usgs. gov/ queriesKactsheet.aspx ?SpecieslD =617
<br />[12/30/12].
<br />6 Stasiak, R. (2006, February 10). Northern Redbelly Dace (Phoxinus eos): a technical conservation assessment. [Online]. USDA
<br />Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region. http: / /www.fs. fed. us /r2 /projects/scp/ assessments /northemredbellydace.pdf [12/30/2012].
<br />7 Stasiak, R.H. (2007, January 11). Southern Redbelly Dace (Phoxinus erythrogaster): a technical conservation assessment.
<br />[Online]. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region. http :/ /www.fs.fed.us /r2/projects /scp/ assessments /southemredbellydace.pdf
<br />[12/30/2012].
<br />8 Kingery, H.E. (Editor). 1998. Colorado Breeding Bird Atlas. Denver: Co. Bird Atlas Partnership & Co. Division of Wildlife. 636 pp.
<br />9 Federal Register documents available at http: / /www.fws .gov /policy /frsystem /defauf.cfm and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service species
<br />profiles viewed at http : / /ecos.fws.gov /speciesProfile/ on December 30, 2012.
<br />10 Armstrong, D.M., J.P. Fitzgerald, and C.A. Meany. 2011. Mammals of Colorado. 2nd Ed. Boulder, Colorado: Univ. Press of Co.
<br />620 pp.
<br />11 Habitat maps available at http: // ndis .nrel.colostate.edu /index.html
<br />RARE EARTh SCIENCE
<br />
|