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15 <br />• - <br />There has not been a thorough census of fish populations in the <br />Purgatoire River system in recent times. A census in Trinidad Lake <br />(Bennett, pers. comm. 1980) revealed over 95 percent white suckers <br />(Catostomas commersonil but few Brown Trout (Salmo truttal and creek <br />chubs (SamotiZus atromacuZatusl. Information on fish in the vicinity <br />of the t4axwe1l and Allen mines is entirely observational. However, I <br />contacted Bob Holder, Colorado Division of Wildlife District Wildlife <br />Manager at Weston; Jack Vayhinger, Colorado Division of Wildlife <br />Biologist at Colorado Springs and Stanley Baron, Jr., rancher and CF&I <br />employee at 'Weston. All stated that the only fish species present in <br />the stretch of the Purgatoire River from the Allen Mine to the Maxwell <br />Mine are Brorm Trout, Rainbow Trout (Salmo gairdneril and white suckers. <br />• - Holder (pers. comm. 1980) estimates that 95 percent of the fish he checks <br />in'fishermen's creels in the vicinity of Stonewall are Brown Trout, the <br />rest are Rainbow Trout. The farthest upstream that he has seen suckers <br />is in the river adjacent to the Maxwell Mine. Whether this distribution <br />is related to the mine operations or to natural phenomena is not known. <br />Impacts of Mining Operations <br /> <br />Portions of the habitats of some species have been unsurped by <br />maintenance and operational roads, holding ponds, refuse piles, buildings <br />and other structures. Movement of machines, trucks and other vehicles <br />will have some effect on wildlife in the immediate vicinity. Quanti- <br />tatively, the impact will be greatest on species of low mobility (i.e., <br />• with small home ranges) and "obligates" (those animals with very soecifc <br />